Former President John Dramani Mahama has admonished students in Senior High Schools across the country to adhere to preventive measures in order to stop the spread of the deadly coronavirus.
According to the flagbearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) preventive measures such as the washing of hands with soap and running water, avoid shaking of hands among others can help prevent the spread of the virus.
The former president who was speaking at the 15th-anniversary celebration of the St. Andrews Senior High School in Assin Fosu urged students to report basic symptoms like sneezing, sore throat, and cough to doctors for early treatment.
“As you have all heard, Ghana has not been spared of the global pandemic coronavirus. When I was young, there was a Toyota car called Corolla so don’t mistake it with this. Coronavirus is a serious disease. There are simple things that we all can do to avoid the virus and I urge the management of the school to take steps to ensure constant education of the students and the community at large. Large gatherings like this may no longer be ideal until we are able to contain the spread.”
“For all of us here, we must make sure to wash our hands properly with soap and under running water. Don’t wash your hands in a bowl and think you have washed it well enough. Wash it under running water and wash it as frequently as possible. Any time you have the opportunity, go and wash your hands and any time we use commonly used surfaces like doors, we must endeavour to wash our hands. The virus is spread through contacts with droplets from the top to the knees of an infected person. So should you experience any of these symptoms i.e. coughing, fever, and the likes, I don’t mean it is coronavirus but it can be coronavirus so consult a doctor,” the former president said.
GES directs school heads to suspend public gatherings
The Ghana Education Service (GES) ordered all heads of schools to suspend public activities until further notice.
The GES said it is to prevent the spread of coronavirus following the confirmation of two positive cases in the country.
In a statement issued after a meeting with the Ghana Health Service, Director-General of the GES, Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa said “public activities such as Speech and Prize-Giving Days” should be suspended “until further directives are given by the Director-General.”
Meanwhile, the GES has indicated that educational materials that were prepared in collaboration with the Ghana Health Service have been made available for circulation in schools to improve sensitization on the outbreak.
“Regional and District Educational Directors are to ensure that Heads of Schools make the materials readily available to staff and students. Educational Directors are also expected to liaise with their respective Regional and District Health Directors to ensure a smooth education campaign in the schools.”
How to protect yourself
To prevent the spread, the standard recommendations coming from the WHO is regular hand washing, covering one’s mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, thoroughly cooking meat and eggs.
People are also advised to avoid close contact with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness such as coughing and sneezing.