The Savannah Regional Director of the Ghana Health Service,Dr. Chrystantus Kubio,has disclosed that in anticipation of the reopening of schools,each school in the Savannah Region would have a holding facility to handle suspected students.
These isolation centers would have health staff at post to isolate and take care of suspected COVID-19 patients should the worst case scenario occur.
In a press briefing Wednesday afternoon,the medical director shot down the possibilities of carrying out mandatory mass testing of students and teachers alike,adding that,"we don't have any such intentions to carryout mass testing of students and teachers especially so,when government has not sanctioned".
As per the directive of the president,final year tertiary students are already in school,whilst final year Senior High students and junior high students are expected to report to school on 22nd June and 29 June respectively.
He emphasized the need for the general public to adhere to the safety protocols as outlined by the Ghana Health Service in collaboration with the government.
According to him,the Ghana Health Service will soon be coming out with a new discharge protocol such that,there will not be the need for a repeated test to prove that a patient is negative after 14 days of isolation and treatment if there are no signs of Coronavirus.
He disclosed that the Savannah Region currently has three isolation centers at Damongo,Bole and Salaga with minimum capacities to contain COVID-19 cases.
The Savannah Regional Minister,hon.Salifu Adam Braimah,disclosed that first patient to have contracted the novel COVID-19 in the newly created Savannah Region has fully recovered and is living a normal life.
According to the Minister who doubles as the Member of Parliament for Salaga South Constituency,aside the first patient who has recovered, the 34 new cases-18 from Salaga and 17 from Buipe are all asymptomatic and are on self-isolation.
He further noted that until government comes out with a policy,calls for mass testing of residents cannot be possible,adding that,adequate measures are in place to protect students and teachers as schools reopen.
"As schools reopen,government has started bringing in some Personnel Protection Equipment.As and when we run short,the ministry will liase with government and they will bring in more.Yesterday,I was listening to one of the radio stations.They were asking whether RCC we couldn't force and test students and teachers? Until government comes out with a policy, no body can force anybody. So we are governed by rules and regulations,"he noted.
He lamented that the times we are in now are not normal,admonishing residents to obey the safety protocols outlined by the government and the Ghana Health Service.
In responding to a question from a journalist on how to safeguard our markets,the West Gonja Municipal Chief Executive,hon.Saeed Muhazu Jibreal disclosed that it has being very difficult for our market women to follow the safety protocols as outlined by government.
He said the Municipal Security Council met and resolved to ensure that the compulsory wearing of face mask is enforced in the municipality through the security agencies;our markets inclusive.
The enforcement of the protocols will come with education,he emphasized.
Veronica buckets he noted,have already being distributed to the markets and other public places,further stating that the municipality has taken delivery of materials that were being sewed for distribution to market women in particular.And that they were considerations to mount polytanks in market areas to the point of sinking boreholes for constant water supply to our market women.
His colleague District Chief Executive for the Central Gonja,hon.Mahama Mustapha stretched on the need to follow the protocols.
The mandatory wearing of face masks,using alcohol based hand sanitizer, observing the physical distancing to him,are critical in our collective fight against the pandemic.
He said the fact that the 34 recorded cases in the region were all asymptomatic was not only worrying,but an indication that the various could even be more in the system that is revealed.
The DCE pledged to strengthen the security in his district in order to ensure people obey the safety protocols and to safeguard the various entry points.
Also present was the Savannah Regional Coordinating Director, Alhaji Mohammed Baba.
Ghana's Coronavirus case count according to data released by the Ghana Health Service now stands at 12,193,with 58 deaths and 4,326 recoveries.(This leaves the total active cases at 7,813).
Source: Ananpansah B Abraham
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