Coronavirus: Go for your children - Mintah Akandoh urges parents of SHS students

Ranking Member of Parliament (MP) Select Committee on Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh has encouraged all parents with their wards in the various Senior High Schools to go for them since government has refused to release them amid the rising cases of Coronavirus reported since the reopening of schools.

"I encourage all parents to go for their wards before they hear any unfortunate news . . . President Akufo-Addo is more interested in remaining in power than putting up qualified and appropriate measures to protect the lives of school children," he argued.

Speaking on UTV's Friday edition of 'Mpu ne Mpu' programme via telephone, the Juaboso MP insisted he does not have any advice to give parents than to ask them to go for their children since the government has refused to heed to sound counsel.

He said it is in President Akufo-Ado's selfish interest by allowing the Electoral Commission to register children in their various schools.

"President Akufo-Addo and his government have now made themselves clear why they are still keeping the SHS students in their various schools when cases of COVID-19 keep rising in the country each day," he asserted.

The Juaboso MP adviced that for the health and safety of the children which he believes is more important than any other thing, "there should be mass testing for COVID-19 in all Senior High Schools, out of which persons who test negative should be sent home whiles persons who test positive are isolated and treated".

13 final year SHS students in 4 schools test COVID-19 positive

Thirteen final year students in Senior High Schools in the country have tested positive for the global pandemic, the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) few days after returning to school, the Ministry of Education has confirmed.

The Deputy Minister of Education, in charge of Basic and Secondary Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, confirmed that six students at the Accra Girls Senior High School tested positive. In addition, a teacher at the school together with his wife had also tested positive for the COVID-19.

Two other students from Odorgonor SHS equally tested positive for the disease in Accra.

In the Ashanti Region, three students at the Konongo Wesley SHS had tested positive for the COVID-19.

Meanwhile, in the Central Region, the Mfantsipim School recorded two confirmed cases of the COVID-19, the Deputy Minister said, bringing the total number of students who have tested positive for the COVID-19 to 13.

According to the Deputy Minister, the students had been isolated and their parents had been informed to ensure it brings down the anxiety.

According to Dr Adutwum, 648 contacts tracing had been done and the people had been isolated, with a number of them tested by the Ghana Health Service.