Tamale The Northern Regional Security Council (REGSEC) has appealed to traditional and religious authorities to help encourage the citizenry to comply with the President’s directives suspending social gatherings.
The directive is part of
efforts by government to help in the fight against the spread of the COVID-19
in the country.
Mr Salifu Saeed, the Northern Regional Minister
and Chairman of REGSEC, said the Council was committed to ensure the full
implementation of the President’s directives, adding that, a joint task force
including the police and military have been established in the region to deal
with people who flout the directives including the holding of social gatherings
such as marriage ceremonies, funerals, festivals, religious activities among
others.
Mr Saeed made the appeal in an interview with
journalists after a REGSEC meeting aimed at reviewing responses and status of
the COVID-19 in the Northern Region.
The President, on Sunday March 15, 2020 directed
amongst other restrictions that all public gatherings including conferences,
workshops, funerals, festivals, political rallies, sporting events and
religious activities be suspended for the next four weeks effective Monday,
March 16, 2020 in a bid to control the spread of COVID-19.
Mr Saeed said health professionals and the team
working on the COVID-19 cases were doing their best to handle all suspected
cases in the region.
He said “even though there is fear in the
citizens due to the recorded cases of the COVID-19, the Northern Region is
still in good standing”, adding that, reports from the health sector in the
region on cases that were suspected to be COVID-19 in the region proved
negative after series of tests.
He said some resolutions taken by REGSEC after
the meeting included the need for the National Ambulance Service to make
available at least two ambulances on standby to transport any suspected
COVID-19 case for screening and testing.
He said REGSEC had directed that the 18
ambulances in the 18 constituencies and 16 MMDAs should be made available at
all times to carry suspected COVID-19 cases from the various locations to the
right health centres for testing.
He said REGSEC has further directed health
professionals to appeal to the Ministry of Health (MoH) to help establish
COVID-19 testing centres in the region to help track cases in the region.
Other measures include ensuring the screening of
traders and commuters using the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU), the
deployment of some military men to the various borders and routes to prevent
entry and avoid the spread of COVID-19 in the region.
REGSEC urged residents in the region to practice
good sanitation and hygiene to help curb the spread of the disease.
Source: Ghana News Agency