Tamale, March 27, GNA – 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.
GNA