The Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei Mensah has stressed that the Regional Security Council will continue to direct security personnel in the region to instantly punish persons who move about in public places without nose masks until all persons in the region comply with the directive.
Since Saturday, police in the region have been punishing persons without nose masks by making them engage in community service.
Inasmuch as some residents have questioned the legality of the exercise, some have applauded authorities as they believe it will help curtail the spread of the coronavirus pandemic in the region.
Speaking at the launch of an exercise by Zoomlion Ghana Limited to disinfect 158 police stations in the Ashanti Region, the Regional Minister stated that meting out instant punishment to offenders will ensure all residents comply with the directive.
“The whole detail is that anybody caught in town without wearing a face mask will be given an instant social work to do including cleaning and desilting of gutters or picking of litters and we thank God that the media has given this support and listening to the airwaves, the people of region feels that this measure has been delayed,” he stressed.
Government considering arresting persons who refuse to wear nose masks – Health Minister
The Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyeman Manu had disclosed that government was considering plans to arrest recalcitrant persons who refuse to adhere to basic guidelines in fighting COVID-19 such as wearing of face mask in public spaces.
A frustrated Agyeman Manu said such persons could face a three-month jail term for not adhering to safety protocols.
“All of us should become ambassadors to preach wherever we are that we should observe the basic rules or guidelines that have come out. They are not very difficult to do. So I don’t understand why some of us do not do these things.”
“We have been thinking about what next to do to enforce strict compliance of these basic guidelines. We are working on that and very soon, we will see the police arresting some of us who are becoming too recalcitrant and when you are jailed three months for not wearing a mask in public, probably, you will take a cue from that,” he said.