Takoradi, March 30, GNA – Mr Anthony K.K Sam, Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE) of the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA) has reiterated the need to ensure that no one ‘smuggles’ COVID-19 into the metropolis.
He explained that as a result of the stay home lockdown of some areas in the country, many people were travelling from the affected areas to their villages.
According to him, all Metropolitan Municipal and District Chief Executives in the region had an emergency meeting with the Regional Minister to explore and operationalize strategies to curtail an invasion of the deadly coronavirus in the region, from the stay home lock down cities of Accra, Tema, kasoa and Kumasi following the announcement by the President last Friday.
He hinted that following the outcome of the meeting, all passengers on board every vehicle at the Inchaban barrier have been instructed to step out for a temperature check with an Infrared Thermometer gun, and persons whose temperatures were above normal levels (37.5°C) would be isolated and sent to a holding facility for a thorough examination and initiation of testing for the virus.
The MCE who made this known in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Sekondi, implored parents and guardians to get their children off the streets, markets and other public places or have their children detained and fines imposed on their parents or guardians.
He announced that “with effect from today, any child that will be caught loitering will be penalized with their parents and guardians”, adding that a taskforce comprising of officers from the Metro Security, Police, Education Directorate and other agencies would be patrolling communities, especially markets places to arrest and detain any child seen loitering.
“As such, a temporal holding area has been prepared to contain kids that will be arrested by the team, especially at the markets”, he stressed.
GNA