Accra, June 28, GNA – President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has extended the incentive package for frontline health workers in the COVID-19 fight for another three months and urged them to continue being professional and compassionate in executing their mandate to save lives.
The President also urged those who show symptoms of the viral infection such as – coughing or sneezing with loss of smell and taste – to report early to the nearest health facility for treatment.
The Ghana Health Service, he explained, had reported that most of the patients who had been lost to the virus died either on arrival at the hospital, or within 48 hours after arrival at the health facility.
President Akufo-Addo, in his 13th televised address on enhanced measures against COVID-19 pandemic on Sunday night, said all frontline health workers, as defined by the Health Ministry, would continue to receive an additional allowance of 50 per cent of their basic salary for the months of July, August and September.
Additionally, all health workers would pay no income taxes for the next three months, the President added.
During the President’s fifth address on Sunday, April 5, he announced an incentive package for frontline health workers to motivate and appreciate their efforts and sacrifices towards combating the respiratory disease from April, May and June.
The President, however, noted that there had been some challenges in implementing the April, May and June incentives due to protracted discussions of who qualified as “frontline health worker”, saying that he had received the assurance from health authorities that the challenge had been resolved to speed up the implementation of the directives.
He entreated Ghanaians to continue observing the safety and hygiene protocols, including the regular washing of hands with soap under running water, wearing facemasks, ensuring frequent use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers and observing social distancing rules.
On the re-opening of the final year Junior High School students on Monday, June 29, President Akufo-Addo said adequate anti-Covid-19 measures had been put in place to guarantee the safety of more than 750,000 students, teachers and non-teaching staff.
They would spend 11 weeks to prepare for their examinations and a week to write the Basic Education Certificate Examinations (BECE).
So far, all the schools have been disinfected and fumigated whilst the Government has also distributed personal protective equipment, reusable nose masks, tissue rolls, liquid soaps, Veronica Buckets, sanitizers and thermometer guns.
Meanwhile, Ghana’s COVID-19 confirmed cases is now 17,351, with 12,994 recoveries, 4,245 active cases and 112 deaths, as at Saturday, June 28,2020.
GNA