Tag: face masks

Majority of pupils and students in the Adaklu Kodzobi Circuit of the Adaklu district have resumed school on Monday but without the essential tool of nose masks.

The expected nose masks from the government is yet to arrive leaving the students to their fate on re-opening day.

A visit by the Ghana News Agency showed many students and their teachers not wearing masks to protect themselves against the vagaries of the pandemic.

Mr. Edward Dzidza, Headteacher of Adaklu Kodzobi D/A Basic Schools told the GNA that they could not turn the pupils away though they failed to wear masks.

He said apart from the fumigation of the school, the promise by the Adaklu District Directorate of Education to provide them with nose masks for use by both teachers and pupils did not materialise.

The Headteacher, therefore, appealed to parents and guardians to provide their wards with nose masks while they await the allocation from the government.

Mr. Selorm Prince Kpenu, Headteachers of Adaklu Have D/A Junior High School said but for a few of the form two students, all the others came to the school without nose masks.

He said they only had four rolls of tissue and a gallon of liquid soap but was hopeful that the government would fulfil its promise of providing all Schools with nose masks and other safety items.

The story was the same at Adaklu Dzakpo and Adaklu Vodze D/A Basic Schools.

A teacher who spoke to the GNA on strict condition of anonymity said the likelihood of both teachers and students contracting the COVID-19 was very high since “we all travel from different locations before converging at the school.”

Students and pupils were seen cleaning, scrubbing the floors of the classrooms and desks for academic work to start.

Source: GNA

Mr Setriakor Gagakuma, Ho Municipal Director, National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has asked the citizenry to stop sharing masks with friends and relatives.

He said the act was unhygienic and also had the potential to spread the novel Coronavirus through borrowed users and urged such people to desist from the behaviour to stem the spread of the disease.

“There may not be a coronavirus in it, but certainly not healthy for a another person to inhale, and apart from it being unhygienic practice, it is an easy way of helping the virus spread from person to person,” he lamented.

Mr Gagakuma who was speaking to the Ghana News Agency said his outfit gathered information that people borrowed masks to have access to voter registration centres and only returned it after they had gone through the process of acquiring the new card.

He said the masks were not requirement for registration, but a protective material against the deadly coronavirus and therefore urged the citizenry to desist from the act of sharing and use them correctly to avoid the spread of the virus.

The Director said it had also come to their notice that some drivers also kept spare masks in their vehicles and gave to passengers, when approaching police check points and took it back after crossing that point.

“This same mask would be given to another passenger who doesn’t have one the next time he gets to a checkpoint, is a recipe for disaster,” he said.

Mr Gagakuma urged drivers and passengers to desist from the act, be watchful and concerned about where they buy the masks and how they were handled as it might be contaminated before getting to them.

He said the Commission is following up on sensitisation activities to educate the citizenry on the dangers of the pandemic, proper maintenance and wearing of masks to limit the spread of the COVID-19.

The Director said the activity would be targeted at schools, markets, registration centres, communities, faith-based organizations, lorry stations and identifiable groups.

He implored the citizenry to endeavour to observe the World Health Organisation and Ghana Health Service health safety protocols to stem the spread of the virus.

Source: GNA

Government is engaging the police to revise their interpretation of the Executive Instrument on the mandatory wearing of face masks by citizens, the Minister of Information has announced.

Kojo Oppong Nkrumah told journalists on Tuesday, June 23 that government has taken cognizance of arrests of persons not wearing the face masks while driving alone.

The powers of the police emanate from EI 64 No. 10, which makes the wearing of face masks, face shield or any other face covering that covers the nose and mouth completely mandatory when in public and leaving or returning to places of abode.

“What government is doing is that we are engaging with the police to give the EI a purposive interpretation when they apply it,” Mr Oppong Nkrumah said on Tuesday.

Source: 3 News

As Senior High School (SHS) students are expected back in school on Monday, June 22, 2020, the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has directed that there should be no mass gatherings in the various Senior High Schools.

He warned during his 12th televised address to the nation that, there should be no sporting activities in the schools as well.

“Religious activities under the new protocols will be permitted. Social distancing and the wearing of face masks are obligatory in our schools.

“One dormitory block in each Senior High School is to be used as an isolation centre in the event of a student falling sick. Again, each SHS has been mapped to a health facility, and care will be provided to the sick by nurses assigned to these schools,” President Akufo-Addo said.

SHS students are expected to be in school for six weeks and write their exams for a period of two weeks.

The President further urged students and teachers across the various SHS “to adhere strictly to enhanced personal hygiene and social distancing protocols, regularly wash their hands with soap under running water, refrain from shaking hands and wear masks to protect themselves and others”.

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

Ghanaians on social media have described the punishment for not wearing a face mask in public as unnecessary.

According to a new Executive Instrument (E.I. 164), which was signed by President Akufo-Addo on June 15, 2020, persons who fail to wear face masks in public could face a jail term of between 4 and 10 years or pay a fine of between GHS12,000 and GHS60,000 or both.

The Executive Instrument states that the police have the authority to make random checks to “ensure enforcement compliance.”

The mandatory wearing of face masks, which is part of measures to stop the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic, will be in force for a period of three months.

But Ghanaians on social media are not happy about this punishment as some have described it as “harsh”, “stupid” and “nonsense”.

According to them, the government could have employed other form of punishments that are not as severe as this.

They also argued that the government has failed in educating Ghanaians on COVID-19, and they are wrong for passing a law which will only affect the poor and vulnerable in the country.

They, however, entreated the government to focus on finding better solutions to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the country, as they claim this punishment is not the solution to the problem at hand.

There are more interesting views on this issue. Check them out:

Source: kuulpeeps.com

One hundred and thirty-one (131) persons have been arrested by the Central Regional Police command for breaching COVID-19 safety protocols.

They were arrested for not wearing nose masks.

Speaking at the launch of a disinfection exercise in basic and senior high schools in the region by waste management company Zoomlion, Regional Police Commander COP Paul Manly Awini said the arrested persons will be processed for court while officers engage stakeholders to ensure all directives are adhered to.

“We are very much aware that our role is a humanitarian one in support of the lead agency which is the Ghana Health Service. And so from day one when these protocols were issued by his Excellency, I must say that some people fallen foul of the law as far as observing some of these protocols were concerned. Today, we have arrested 131 persons who breached these protocols, and they are all being processed for court.”

A new Executive Instrument (E.I. 164) signed by President Akufo-Addo on June 15, 2020, as part of measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has made it an offence for refusing to wear a face mask in public.

The punishment is a prison sentence of four to 10 years or a fine of GH¢12,000 to GH¢60,000 or both.

The E.I. was issued by the President pursuant to the powers granted him under the Imposition of Restrictions Act, 2020 (Act 1012).

Per E.I. 164, which was gazetted on Monday, June 15, the mandatory wearing of face masks shall be in force for three months and shall apply to all parts of Ghana.

The Ghana Police has been mandated to enforce compliance of the E.I.

President Akufo-Addo in his 11th nationwide address to the nation announced that the wearing of face masks has now been made mandatory in the Greater Accra, Ashanti, Central and Western regions where the number of people contracting the virus has surged.

“…Ghanaians must remember that the wearing of masks is now mandatory. Leaving our homes without our face masks or face covering on is an offence,” the President said in the Sunday address.

Source: citinewsroom 

The Ranking Member on the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee of Parliament, Inusah Fuseini says the Executive Instrument 164 is in breach of the law-making function of Parliament.

According to him, the law which penalizes persons who fail to wear face masks in public criminalizes the offence in a manner that is outside the powers of the Executive.

Speaking to Citi News, the Tamale Central MP said, the law is not only harsh but a breach of the powers of the executive to prescribe such punishment.

“…You remember the first time the President brought the Imposition of Restrictions Bill, the President sought to arrogate himself the power to determine [certain restrictions] for persons under the Bill. That was resisted by Parliament. That was why we created a function called offences and penalty and so it is the sole preserve of Parliament to penalise and not that of the President. That is a long-standing principle of law. The President has no right to penalise. That is the long-standing principle of law.”

The new Executive Instrument, which was signed by President Akufo-Addo on June 15, 2020, makes it mandatory for people to wear face masks in public.

Persons who fail to wear masks could face a jail term of between four and 10 years or pay a fine of between GHS12,000 and GHS60,000 or both.

Section 6 of Act 1012 states that “a person who fails to comply with the restrictions imposed under the Executive Instrument issued under subsection 1 of Section 2 commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine of not less than 1,000 penalty unit (Gh¢12,000) and not more than 5,000 penalty units (Gh¢ 60,000) or to a term of imprisonment not less than four years and not more than 10 years or to both.”

Section 4 (1) of the E.I. 164 states that the police have the authority to make random checks to “ensure enforcement compliance”

Source: citinewsroom 

Some recalcitrant Sunyani residents who failed to wear their face masks were yesterday arrested and made to undertake clean-up exercise for some hours by security agencies who were on the streets to enforce directives and protocols of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) announced by the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

The Sunyani COVID-19 Prevention Taskforce led by Supt. Haruna Alhassan of the Ghana Immigration Service were on the streets of Sunyani to ensure that residents adhered to the directives and protocols announced by the President to check the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in the area.

The taskforce was made up of representatives from the Sunyani Municipal Assembly, Sunyani Traditional Council and Service Commanders of the various security agencies in the Bono Region.

The about 100 residents who were found without masks were compelled to weed, clean and desilt choked gutters within the municipality.

Supt. Haruna Alhassan told the Ghanaian Times that the operation was not only limited to the Sunyani area, but other suburbs such as Chiraa, Odumase, Kwatiri, Fiapre and Adentia, among others.

He noted that although the region had not witnessed a surge in the COVID-19 cases after it recorded a case in March this year, authorities are not leaving anything to chance, hence such punitive measures adopted to deter the people from flouting the order to wear their masks.

Source: ghanaiantimes.com.gh

One could face a jail term of four to ten years if the person fails to wear a face mas, a new Executive Instrument (E.I 164) signed by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has disclosed.

The person could also a fine of GH¢12,000 to GH¢60,000, or both.

The E.I which was signed on June 15, 2020 forms part of measures to curb the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID -19).

It was also gazetted on the same day and shall be in force for three months and shall apply to everywhere in the country.

It is now mandatory for people to “wear face masks, face shields or any other face covering that covers his or her nose and mouth completely when the person is in public or leaving or returning to his place of abode.”

Section 6 of Act 1012 states that “a person who fails to comply with the restrictions imposed under the Executive Instrument issued under subsection 1 of Section 2 commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine of not less than 1,000 penalty unit (Gh¢12,000) and not more than 5,000 penalty units (Gh¢ 60,000) or to a term of imprisonment not less than four years and not more than 10 years or to both.”

Section 4 (1) of the E.I. 164 states that the police have the authority to make random checks to “ensure enforcement compliance”

According to Section 4(2) of E.I 164, any person who fails to comply with the mandatory wearing of nose masks shall be punished in accordance with Section 6 of Act 1012.

Source: rainbowradioonline.com

Persons in the Ho Municipality of the Volta Region who fail to wear nose masks in public places will be made to pay a spot fine of GHS20.

This comes after the Ho Municipal Assembly passed a by-law to that effect.

The Volta Regional Minister Dr Archibald Letsa in a Citi News interview said the Regional Security Council has instituted a task force at the various assemblies to oversee the implementation of the directive.

“The Ho Municipality passed a by-law to institute a fine of a minimum of GHS20 for those who will not comply with the directive of wearing a face mask. We are in the regional capital and we know what is going on. There is a lot of enforcement in the Ho township.”

The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in his 11th address made the wearing of face masks mandatory.

He pointed out the Police and law enforcement agencies will enforce this directive through an Executive Instrument.

“With the doctors and scientists telling us that the virus is transmitted from human contact, through talking, singing, coughing and sneezing, which results in sending droplets of the virus from one person to another, residents of these four regions, and, indeed, all Ghanaians, must remember that the wearing of masks is now mandatory.”

“Leaving our homes without a face mask or face covering on is an offence. The Police have been instructed to enforce this directive, which is the subject of an Executive Instrument,” the President said in his address to the nation on Sunday.”

Source: citinewsroom 

The Ahafo Ano North Municipal Assembly (AANMA) of the Ashanti region has distributed over 6000 face masks to cooperate institutions and the general public in the Municipality as part of efforts to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Led by the MCE Martina Appiah Nyantekyie, the team mostly made up of staff of the Assembly has reached out to every trader and staff of corporate bodies within the municipality.

Distributing the face masks, the team also took turns to remind the public about the reality of the pandemic and the need to follow all the safety protocols as prescribed by the Ghana Health Service.

During the exercise, it was observed that people were not adhering to the social distancing measures as it was business as usual especially for traders and some patrons of the Tepa market.

Also, the veronica buckets donated by the Assembly at some vantage points in the market were empty; but for some shops that have them at their entry points, one could have concluded that hand washing protocols were also not observed in the market. This situation forced the team to threaten the traders of a total lockdown of the market.

The next place the team visited was the Tepa main lorry station, here the team interacted with the leadership of the various transport unions and cautioned them of the need to remain safe under this pandemic. Here, face masks were distributed to everyone present as well as passengers at the station.

The team finally ended at the premises of the Assembly where donations of face masks, hand sanitizers, gun thermometers, veronica buckets, and waste bins were made to Departments, Agencies and other cooperate bodies in the Municipality.

In an interview with the Information Services Department (ISD), the MCE disclosed that the Assembly will continue with the exercise throughout the Municipality and it aims of distributing over 12000 face masks, hand sanitizers and some 200 veronica baskets and waste bins.

In a related development, the Municipality last week recorded its first case of COVID-19. The case according to the Municipal Health Directorate involved a pregnant woman who had visited the Municipality from Accra. It continues that, the woman got ill upon arrival and visited the Manfo CHPS compound, with a high temperature and other symptoms of COVID-19, the nurses informed the Health Directorate and arrangements were made for her referral to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi where her samples sent to KCCR confirmed positive. Her pregnancy was terminated by the hospital and is currently on admission responding to treatment where contact tracing is ongoing at the municipality.

Source: Starr FM

A praise and worship leader, Emmanuel Fisher Amankawaa, has told Nyankonton Mu Nsem on Rainbow Radio 87.5Fm that the use of face mask and singing would be difficult for singers as churches plan to resume following the easing of restrictions.

In his explanation, he warned of serious respiratory problems should the use of face mask and singing persist for a long time.

He was reacting to the mandatory wearing of face mask by church members as part of the protocols outlined for churches in the first phase of easing the restrictions announced by the president on Sunday.

Mr. Fisher Amankwaa said although this will be difficult for them, they have no other option to comply.

He said singing involves holding notes without taking extra breaths, hence covering the nose and mouth whiles engaging in this activity could be problematic if kept for long.

The Minister for Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs has outlined detailed guidelines for churches that will be operating.

Mr Samuel Kofi Dzamesi, at a press conference on Monday, asked churches to allow all other persons involved in singing and preaching to wear face masks.

He also asked churches to “Form COVID-19 Task Force comprising of members who are preferably health workers. They must be trained in health promotion measures, infection prevention and control and evacuation procedures by Ghana Health Service.

“The COVID-19 Task Force should call 112 or 311 for support to enable evacuation anyone develops fever, coughs and difficulty in breathing during service,” he said.

Below are the full guidelines

I. Thermometer guns or thermal scanners are to be provided for checking the temperature of congregants at entry points.

II. No mask: No entry Policy to be enforced

III. Provision of handwashing facilities with running water and soap and/or FDA approved alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

IV. Provision of adequate waste management facilities (bins, cans, bin-liners and single-use tissues).

V. Provision of adequate toilet facilities for use by members.

VI. Regular cleaning and disinfection of frequently used communal places (like toilet surfaces) and frequently touched surfaces such as doorknobs/handles, preferably every 1-2 hours depending on the rate of utilization.

VII. Designate a holding room or area where a person who becomes sick at the premises/event can be isolated from others while making arrangements for evacuation.

VIII. Regular disinfection of venues used by churches, preferably once every month. For example, fumigation and disinfection must be carried out with recognized entities like Zoomlion.

IX. Trained cleaners with the necessary personal protective equipment and cleaning items to clean the facilities regularly and handle waste appropriately.

X. Provide adequate ventilation, i.e. open windows to allow for the maximum circulation of fresh air, if possible, avoid confined air-conditioned rooms.

XI. Display approved health promotion materials on COVID-19 at vantage points to remind congregants to keep to social distancing protocols, wearing of the masks, regular handwashing, coughing and sneezing etiquette.

XII. Ensure a No handshake, No hugging and No Spitting policy at all time.

XIII. Follow established evacuation procedures (as outlined in Annex 1) to enable evacuation if a congregant becomes sick during the event and has to be evacuated.

XIV. Form COVID task force comprising of members who are preferably health workers. They must be trained in Health Promotive prevention measures, Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) and Evacuation Procedures by Ghana Health Service.

XV. The COVID task force should Call 112 or 311 for support to enable evacuation if anyone develops fever, cough, and difficulty in breathing during service.

XVI. Unwell Persons are not allowed to attend church

XVII. Older persons and people of any age with underlying medical conditions, heart diseases, diabetes, liver disease, and asthma are advised to stay away from church service

XVIII. Sharing personal items such as watches, jewellery, pens and phones should be discouraged.

XIX. If an individual is confirmed positive for COVID-19, all contacts must be traced and screened.

XX. No crowd dancing and waving of handkerchiefs during church services.

XXI. Sanitize microphones immediately after each use.

XXII. All who speak/sing in churches (including Pastors, Sunday school teachers, Singers and Announcers) must wear facemask during service.

XXIII. Discourage singing in groups. Pre-recorded songs or solos should be used.

XXIV. Pre-packaged communion bread and wine should be picked up by members at the point of entry.

XXV. Place offering bowls at the entrance and exit points for members to give offerings and tithes when entering or on their way out of church premises. Encourage cash transfers via mobile money or mobile banking as forms of giving offerings.

XXVI. In observance of social distancing protocols, laying on of hands should not be allowed.

XXVII. Spend at least 5 minutes of church service time to educate church members on COVID-19.

XXVIII. Provide separate sitting areas for the aged and for families that are together.

XXIX. The church is encouraged to mobilize resources to help individuals in need including offering church health facilities.

Source: rainbowradiooline.com

The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has equated locally manufactured face masks to internationally accepted N-95 masks for use by health workers.

In a write-up, the FDA said a head-to-head comparison of the locally manufactured masks using the American Society for Testing of Materials (ASTM) methods proved that they are equivalent to the N-95 masks.

LOCALLY MADE MEDICAL FACE MASKS (Equivalent to N-95 Face Mask)

Specification:

In accordance with Public Available Specifications (GS PAS 4:2020) and FDA requirements for registration of locally made Face Masks.

Description:

Three-layered Face mask ie. a two-layer fabric with a hard stiff in between.

Material:

Plain fabric which is bleached to ensure the removal of starch to avoid coagulation for easy breathability.

Dimensions:

Length Cheek to Cheek (200mm -250mm) Width Above the Nose to bottom of the Chin (90mm 150mm)

Thickness Test:

When measured with the digital thickness gauge,the thickness should not be less than 0.85mm.

Porosity Test:

The ability of the mask to create a barrier to viruses, bacteria and germs, but also enables easy breathability as air easily passes through.

Breathability Test:

Ability of persons wearing the mask to breathe without difficulty.

Aerosol Splash Test:

Ability of the mask to protect the wearer from oropharyngeal secretions and vice versa thus preventing the spread of viruses. The Aerosol used for the Aerosol Splash Test has less viscosity than blood and oropharyngeal secretions.

Results of Tested Medical Masks:

Thickness of registered imported N-95 range between 0.85mm 1.4mm and that of locally made medical masks range between 1.0mm 1.34mm, which comply with the standard of not less than 0.85mm.

Tests of the locally made medical face masks were compared head-to-head with the N95 using the American Society for Testing of Materials (ASTM) Methods

FDA Medical Device ISO 17025 -2017 Accredited Laboratory

Source: FDA

The Mask Ambassadors in collaboration with the Sunyani Municipal Assembly at the weekend distributed 1,000 nose masks to high risk population in the Sunyani Municipality to stem the spread of the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19).

Mask Ambassadors is a local group comprising media practitioners and health workers that advocates wearing of nose masks to protect the people from contracting the COVID-19.

Beneficiaries were mostly commercial drivers, motor riders, truck and wheel barrow pushers, head porters and the aged.

The exercise, started around 0900 hours and lasted for about five hours as the Ambassadors, together with the Sunyani Municipal COVID-19 taskforce paraded the principal streets of the Bono Regional Capital and distributed the nose masks randomly.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), Madam Justina Owusu-Banahene, the Sunyani Municipal Chief Executive underscored the importance for the populace to wear the masks and adhere to the social and physical distancing protocols as well.

She said hand washing under running water and use of hand sanitizers were still relevant in the fight against the spread of the disease, and advised the public to observe personal hygiene.

While commending the taskforce for their commitment in stemming the spread of the COVID-19 in the Municipality, Mad. Owusu-Banahene praised the Mask Ambassadors for the initiative and hoped they would intensify public education for the people to understand the need to wear the nose masks.

In a related development, the Bono Regional Directorate of the Ghana Health Service has taken 630 specimen to the Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research (KCCR), since the region recorded a confirmed COVID-19 case last week.

Dr. John Ekow Otoo, the Deputy Director, Public Health at the Directorate told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview on Monday that 148 contacts had been traced so far.

The region’s confirmed case of the COVID-19 involved 27-year old Togolese who entered the country through an unapproved route at Sampa, a town along the Ghana-Cote d’Ivoire border in the Jaman North District.

He and nine others were arrested by the Ghana Immigration Service and the GNA learnt they had since been repatriated.

Dr. Otoo said most of the suspects whose samples had been taken were in self-quarantine, while the Jaman North District Assembly had arranged a quarantine centre for some of them.

He said the Directorate in collaboration with Bono Regional Coordinating Council had heightened surveillance and monitoring and called on the public to also do their best by complying with all directives to help stem the spread of the disease.

Source: GNA

Efforts being made by city authorities in Sunyani to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus disease are creating brisk businesses for the youth in the municipality.

Unemployed young men and women have taken advantage and engaging in the sale of locally made nose masks to make ends meet.

This follows a directive by the Municipal Assembly that ensures mandatory wearing of nose masks, particularly among traders, food vendors, commercial drivers, motor riders, hawkers and market women.

The Assembly has accordingly set up a task-force to enforce the directive aimed at protecting the public from contracting the disease.

Almost all financial institutions and transport unions operating in the Municipality would not do business with clients and passengers who failed to wear nose masks.

They have posted inscriptions such as “no nose mask no entry” and “It is now compulsory to wear nose mask” on their vehicles and at the premises of their offices.

The traders told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in a random interview in Sunyani on Tuesday that the nose mask business had become lucrative.

Many of them said they sold sanitizers as well but regretted that the sanitizer business had gone down drastically.

Leticia Osei, a trader, explained that prices of nose masks ranged between GHC3.00 and GHC10.00 cedis depending on the quality saying some were reusable and others were not.

She said the factory price for the mask ranged between GHC2 and GHC8.

Meanwhile, the Masks Ambassadors, a local advocacy group that campaigned the wearing of nose masks, as a remedy to stem the spread of the COVID-19, has appealed for nose masks from local manufacturers and fashion designers.

The eight-member advocacy group, made up of journalists and health workers, noted that some people could not afford to buy the nose masks but were willing to use them, adding that such needy class in society ought to be supported with masks.

Mr Francis Owusu Ansah, a leading member of the group, told the GNA that the campaigners were to ensure the aged, head potters, people with disability, wheelbarrow and truck pushers, as well as coconut sellers had the mask and wore them.

“The aged are vulnerable and high-risk population and it is always disturbing to see some of them on the street using their handkerchiefs as nose masks. I think we have to do something to support them to acquire some of the masks to protect themselves and their immediate families,” he said.

Mr Ansah emphasised that the Mask Ambassadors were building collaboration with all relevant institutions towards ensuring that majority, if not all of the populace in the Municipality, wore nose masks and adhered to other safety protocols on the Covid-19.

He commended the Sunyani Municipal Assembly for setting up the task-force, which was making a huge impact in the fight against the disease.

He praised Madam Justina Owusu-Banahene, the Chief Executive, for her passion in controlling the spread of not only COVID-19 but all communicable diseases in the Municipality.

Source: GNA

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has encouraged Ghanaians to comply with the Coronavirus (COVID-19) preventive measures particularly the directive to wear a face mask when social distancing cannot be achieved.

The President in his 8th address to the nation said the mandatory wearing of face masks by the local government authorities in Accra and Kumasi among others will help to prevent the further spread of Covid-19 in the country.

“So, let us, on our part, continue to protect further our health workers by practicing social distancing, washing our hands with soap under running water, refraining from shaking hands, and, yes, wearing our masks whenever we leave our homes.

We should all familiarize ourselves with them, and apply them, as the Regional Coordinating Councils of the Greater Accra, Ashanti, and Central Regions are demanding of their residents,” he said.

He said together, the preventive protocols will prove effective in helping Ghana bend its COVID-19 curve.

“The doctors and scientists tell us that the virus is transmitted from human contact talking, singing, coughing, sneezing, and, thereby, sending droplets of the virus from one person to another.

That is why each one of us must adhere strictly to these directives,” he added.

The president was also contentment that so the public transport like trotros, taxis, and buses are operating with a minimal number of passengers, and that businesses and supermarkets are enforcing the need for social distancing, the use of hand sanitizers, and the wearing of masks for all patrons and staff.

“I am fully aware of the sacrifices in reduced revenues that all businesses and enterprises are suffering. But I believe we have no option but to sacrifice to defeat this virus,” he said.

Ghana as at April 26 has recorded 1550 cases of COVID-19 with 11 deaths.

Source: DailyGuideNetwork

Face masks branded with the respective political emblems of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) are selling like hot cakes in parts of the Ashanti region and have become a sort of competition among members of both parties.

It is not clear how it begun but suddenly people are wearing the political party branded face masks not only to protect themselves from COVID-19 but also to make identify their political linage.

It is also not certain whether the political parties are themselves behind the branding of the masks or whether private merchants have decided to adopt the sale of the brand masks as a smart business strategy.

What is certain is that they are selling like hot cakes and the competition among members of both parties is encouraging more people to wear the protective masks.

Though the origin branded masks is not confirmed, the two parties are relying on them to campaign for votes and the strategy has been welcomed by supporters of the NDC and NPP as they confidently wear the branded face mask in public.

Prior to the face mask campaign, the two parties had also branded food items such as bags of rice, bottled water and hand sanitizers with their party paraphernalia and donated them to the people.

The government had imposed partial lockdown on some areas in the Greater Kumasi and Greater Accra to stop the spread of the virus and the NPP and NDC quickly took advantage of the situation.

Some political connoisseurs, who demanded anonymity, have insisted that the behaviour of both the NDC and the NPP was a clear indication that the political parties are desperate for power.

According to them, the Covid-19 is a dangerous virus that is causing nightmarish experiences for the entire world therefore it is unacceptable for the NDC and NPP to use it to campaign for votes.

The Covid-19 is reported to have started from far away, Wuhan in China, during the latter stages of 2019 but it has spread across the globe, including Ghana, where over 1,000 people have been infected.

Source: thepublisheronline.com

The Minister of Health by the Public Health Act, 2012 (Act 851) has directed the wearing of face masks by all and sundry to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

Section 170(1) of the Act clothes the Minister with powers to order an individual to take a preventive measure in respect of public health matters.

In pursuant to this, the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, issued a statement on Saturday, April 25 directing the wearing of face masks “in all public places where it may be difficult to maintain social distancing”.

“The general public is encouraged to wear mask or face covering when going out whether sick or not or attending to a sick person,” the statement urged.

“Incorrect use of the face mask carries a high risk of infection.”

Citizens have been advised to clean hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based sanitizer before putting on a mask.

They must ensure that the mask fully covers the mouth and nose with no gaps between the face and the mask.

“Avoid touching the mask after you have worn it,” it directed.

In removing the mask, the finger must be used by passing it through the loop behind one ear as a touch of the front of the mask is prohibited.

Special kinds of masks have been recommended.

“Homemade masks with strings to be tied behind the neck or head are not encouraged,” Dr Kuma-Aboagye stated.

JAVA or WAX cloths sown with triple-layered and stringed with side loops should be worn as hooks to the ear.

Calico inlaid with fabric stiffens and inner covered with side loops should are also recommended to be worn.

Those required to wear the masks are food vendors and sellers at markets, commercial vehicle drivers and attendants, commuters on public transports, persons in public and commercial centres, facilities and buildings including but not limited to offices, bars, workshops, restaurants, sports arenas and spas, saloons, shopping malls, churches, clinics and hospitals and all other facilities accessible to the public whether privately or publicly owned.

Source: 3 News

The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) on Thursday said most of the locally produced facemasks rather posed health risks to citizens rather than helping to protect them from the COVID-19.

It said most of those locally produced facemask were either single or double layered cloth and sewn with treated materials, which in itself may pose danger to the user.

The FDA, therefore, appealed to the public to desist from using un-recommended face masks, stressing that in an attempt to contain the spread of the disease, many were producing it locally, the efficacy of which could not be ascertained.

Mr Joseph Yaw-Bernie Bernnie, FDA Head of Medical Devices Department, told the Ghana News Agency in an interview that the recommended face masks generally must be able to filter out particles and still be easy to breathe through.

He said in the absence of propylene, which is the common material used for medical-grade face masks, 100 per cent cotton or cotton blends possessed good material characteristics for homemade face masks.

He said recent studies and evaluations undertaken by the FDA on viable materials for the production of effective homemade face masks from local fabrics or materials established that Calico-Stiff (Hard/Medium)-Calico (three layers) combination is ideal for a reusable homemade COVID-19 face mask.

He said Calico-Calico-Calico (three layers) combination is ideal for a reusable homemade COVID-19 face mask and that it was important for both local producers and users to ensure the recommended material were used.

Mr Bernnie said there must be no chemicals in the materials used for the production of the masks, noting that because some of those face masks contained chemicals or were dyed, the Authority could not readily ascertain the health implication, hence the advice to avoid it.

A walk through the Madina Station and Market, many people were seen using the locally produced face mask, most of which are either single or double-layered or were made with the treated materials.

But Mr Bernnie said the FDA was carrying out market surveillance to rescue the system, educating both producers and users to respectively stop producing and using the un-recommended face masks.

He said so far a total of eight companies had been licensed to produce the recommended three-layered face mask for the country.

He said most applications for the licensing of the face masks had failed the test but expressed the hope that more would be licensed by the close of the week to make them available.

Mr Bernnie said anyone who desired to use a treated material or branded face mask could do so but must ensure that the part containing the chemical or brand should be the outer layer to prevent direct contact with the chemical.

He said the face mask is for protecting the wearer from others or vice versa but wearing the un-recommended one would end up not achieving that aim.

That would rather expose the wearer to danger because of the false sense of security and end up picking even other infections, he said.

Source: GNA

Over 50 persons were on Tuesday denied entry into the Accra City Hall for not wearing a face mask as part of measures to stop the spread of the Coronavirus.

The measure forms part of efforts to safeguard the health and well-being of staff of the assembly as well as other visitors into its premises.

According to the Mayor of Accra, Mohammed Adjei Sowah who gave the directive, as long as one could get a cloth to cover his or her face and mouth, they would be allowed entry into the city hall.

He added that these measures would help slow the spread of the Coronavirus especially from people who may have the virus but do not know.

He noted that henceforth everyone coming into the city centre would be required to wear a face mask as directed by President Nana Akufo-Addo.

The Assembly last week launched a campaign to promote the wearing of a face mask in the city.

The Accra City Hall which is being managed by Listening Bureau, a property management company is disability-friendly and can boast of ancillary facilities such as a 300-capacity conference room, meeting rooms, cafeteria, landscaping (greening) and a 200-capacity car park.

Ghana has currently recorded 1,042 COVID-19 cases with nine deaths. 99 persons who were infected with COVID-19 have recorded.

The disease has been recorded in ten out of 16 regions in Ghana.

Source: AMA