Coronavirus: KMA donates PPE to schools

The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) has donated quantities of personal protective equipment to some selected educational institutions to help fight the spread of the coronavirus in the schools.

The items, which included 400 boxes of hand sanitisers and 16,000 pieces of nose masks, were donated under the assembly’s Covid-19 PPE distribution programme.

Some of the beneficiary educational institutions were the Wesley College of Education, Afua Serwaa Kobi, Duase M/A, Asem M/A, Amakom-Abrotia M/A, Buokrom ‘E’ M/A, Adiebeba and Yaa Achiaa basic schools.

Others were the State Experimental, Suntreso-Patase, Akosa M/A, State Boys, Adumanu, St. Cyprian’s ‘A’ and ‘B’, Al-Tawheed Islamic and K.O. ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’ basic schools.

Mr Osei Assibey-Antwi, the Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE), presenting the items at a ceremony in Kumasi, said the Assembly received a total of 2,400 boxes of hand sanitisers and 66,000 pieces of masks for distribution to some identifiable groups and institutions to help fight the covid-19 pandemic.

Among the groups are media institutions, traders, transport operators, security personnel, and schools.

The MCE said the presentation to the educational institutions was to help the students and pupils of the beneficiary schools to protect themselves against the virus.

Ghana had, as of February this year, recorded a total of 556 COVID-19 cases in over 130 schools across the country since schools were reopened in the middle of January.

Mr Assibey-Antwi said the Assembly was working closely with the Metropolitan Education Directorate and the Ghana Health Service to ensure that all the covid-19 preventive protocols were strictly enforced in all schools in the metropolis.

He advised the pupils and students to take personal hygiene seriously in the face of the prevailing threats posed by the pandemic.

Mr David Oppong, Metropolitan Director of Education, said prior to the reopening of schools the Assembly assisted in the fumigation of all educational institutions in the metropolis.

The exercise, in addition to the provision of sanitary buckets, sanitisers, nose masks, tissue papers and infrared thermometers, ensured a successful academic take-off, in all schools.

Mr Oppong said the Education Directorate was grateful to the KMA for its commitment to partner with other key stakeholders to stem the spread of the pandemic in the metropolis.