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The Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA) has procured over 20,000 branded reusable cloth nose masks to be distributed to the vulnerable in the municipality.

The Metropolitan Chief Executive for Tema, Mr Felix Mensah Nii Anang-La, who disclosed this in Tema on Saturday, April 25, 2020, explained that the move was part of the assembly’s efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

He said the free distribution of the mask was to ensure that people in the area do not come up with excuses when the assembly begins the enforcement of the wearing of face masks in the metropolis as directed by the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council(GARCC) and the Ghana Health Service(GHS) in line with section 14 of the Public Health Act, Act 851.

The directives by the GARCC and the GHS means that persons who do not wear nose masks will be denied entry into markets, offices, lorry parks and other public spaces.

“From Monday, the wearing of nose mask is going to be mandatory and we intend to enforce it, but we know that there are a lot of vulnerable people who cannot afford, so we as an Assembly has taken it upon ourselves to go round and distribute it for free so that when we are enforcing no one can say they can’t afford it.” The MCE said.

Sensitisation

He indicated that the Assembly has embarked on a sensitisation drive and invested in the purchase and sharing of the nose masks stressing that after a series of public education, those who refuse to wear masks would be sanctioned by the Police as stipulated in the Act.

Meanwhile the TMA on Saturday, April 25, 2020, received additional support of 10,000 pieces of disposable nose masks from the Sentuo Group to help fight the spread of the novel coronavirus

The items are to be distributed at transport terminals and other public spaces in the metropolis in wake of the imposition of mandatory wearing of nose masks in public spaces in the Metropolis.