An Education think tank, Africa Education Watch, has dismissed calls for the closure of schools in the wake of the spread of the delta variant of COVID-19 in schools.
According to its Executive Secretary, Kofi Asare, the country is not yet in a situation where schools need to be closed again.
The growing concerns are further heightened by the Ghana Health Service’s disclosure of the spread of the delta variant at the community level.
Achimota School alone is said to have recorded 135 cases of COVID-19.
But, speaking to Citi News, Kofi Asare said the situation should not create panic.
He, however, urged the authorities to rigorously enforce COVID-19 protocols in schools to avoid any serious outbreak that will compel schools to be closed.
“There are protocols that are used in closing schools…I think we are not at the level of closure of schools. So I think that the existing protocols, i.e. testing and isolation and the rest, should be fine. I don’t think this is a cause for panic. We only need to go back to the basics and do what we were doing right.”
Meanwhile, the Education Ministry will, today, resume meetings with teacher unions on whether schools should go on a break in the wake of the COVID-19 cases being recorded.
Citi News sources say the meeting, which started yesterday, ended inconclusively but is expected to reach some resolutions later today, Tuesday, July 6, 2021.
On the same resurgence of the disease and the recording of the delta variant in the country, the Ranking Member on the Health Committee of Parliament, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has called on the government to return to the regime of aggressive testing and contact tracing.
According to him, that is the surest way to curb the spread of the highly contagious variant.
“Government must revert to its initial plan on testing by conducting routine surveillance tests, enhanced contact tracing tests, and also effective testing of all incoming travellers, not just at Kotoka International Airport but also across our seaports and land borders.”
He also called on the government to step up its efforts in genomic sequencing, healthcare funding and vaccine procurement.
“Immediately put in measures and produce, within a week, an effective genomic sequencing policy for COVID-19 that is credible and effective enough to facilitate the early detection of all COVID-19 variants and the extent of their spreads within Ghanaian communities.”
“Release approved funds for the various health institutions and agencies, so they can better perform their duties. Fast-track the procurement of vaccines through appropriate channels to secure vaccines for the remaining 19 million Ghanaians it promised to vaccinate this year,” Mr. Akandoh said.
