COVID-19 sensitisation campaign launched in markets

The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD) has launched a sensitisation programme on COVIC-19 in markets across the country as part of measures to control the spread of the coronavirus.

This is in line with a directive by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to the MLGRD to collaborate with metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) to ensure personal hygiene and good sanitation practices in markets.

Launch

The Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Hajia Alima Mahama, who launched the programme in Accra yesterday, said the ministry was leveraging resources from the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) to provide the needed logistics for the exercise.

Some female ministers are to replicate the exercise at various markets in the country. They include the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Mrs Cynthia Mamle Morrison; the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mrs Barbara Oteng-Gyasi; the Minister of Special Development Initiatives, Ms Mavis Hawa Koomson, and the Administrator of the DACF, Mrs Irene Naa Torshie Lartey.

“We have instructed district assemblies to set up committees, as well as establish sensitisation teams to educate the people. Some districts have started working at the markets by providing certain facilities to ensure proper sanitation practices,” she said.

The minister said they were targeting 1,000 markets and that a committee would be established to monitor and evaluate the exercise.

“We will meet them in groups, but will ensure that at every meeting, there are not more than 25 people,” she said.

Hajia Mahama later interacted with the leadership of Makola, Salaga, Tema Station, Kantamanto, Okaishie and Agbogbloshie markets.

Supplies

In each of the 1,000 markets, they will be provided with 10 Veronica buckets, 10 Jumbo tissue rolls, a carton of liquid soap consisting of 24 bottles, four dustbins, 50 nose masks, and two cartons of hand sanitisers. Large markets such as Agbogbloshie, Kantamanto and Makola will see their sanitation supplies doubled. The market places will also undergo fumigation.

In addition, each district will be provided with 100 Veronica buckets and other sanitary items.

Tema

Benjamin Xornam Glover reports from Tema that the Metropolitan and Municipal Assemblies of Tema, Ashaiman, Kpone-Katamanso and Tema West will fumigate their markets beginning Monday, March 23, 2020, in a bid to mitigate the spread of the virus.

The Municipal Chief Executive of Ashaiman, Mr Albert Boakye Okyere, told journalists in Tema after the demonstration of proper hand washing exercise to selected market queens from the various markets in the four municipalities that the fumigation exercise would be carried out at night.

He advised the traders to always wash their hands thoroughly and also avoid gathering by practising social distancing.

The Metropolitan Chief Executive for Tema, Mr Felix Nii Mensah Annang-La, said the TMA will liaise with the market queens to mount hand washing facilities at all 25 entrances to the Tema Community One Market and others in the metropolis.

The Tema Metropolitan Health Director, Dr Sally Quartey, and her colleague from the Kpone Katamanso Municipal Assembly, Dr Esther Priscilla Biamah Danquah, took turns to educate the participants on proper hygiene practices.

Tamale

And in Tamale, the Metropolitan Assembly has formed a task force to see to the implementation of the President’s directive to ban all social and religious gatherings, Samuel Duodu reports.

The task force is chaired by the Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE), Mr Iddrisu Musah Superior, with representatives from the Central Sub-Metro, Metropolitan Planning Unit, traditional authorities, the environmental and sanitation sub-committees of the assembly, metropolitan security coordinator's office, the Environmental Health Unit and the police.

Enforcement of President's directives

At a press briefing in Tamale last Thursday, the MCE explained that the formation of the task force was to monitor the level of compliance by the public on the directives to enable them fight the virus.

He said 16 persons, eight each from the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and the Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH), have been sent to Accra for training on how to handle COVID-19 cases.

According to him, the assembly has dedicated one of the two ambulances given by the government to be used for COVID-19 victims if the need arises.