The Kumbungu District Assembly in the Northern Region says it has put in place a strategy to respond to the possible spread of the new delta variant of COVID-19 in the district.
According to the district assembly, as part of the plan, which it is carrying out in collaboration with the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and the Kings Medical Centre, a Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG) facility operating in the Kumbungu District, some health personnel have been trained and deployed into communities within the district.
Their duty is to identify visitors and head porters who arrive from some areas in the southern part of the country, described by the GHS as hotspots of the disease, for check-ups to prevent the spread of the virus.
The exercise, with support from the Foreign Commonwealth Development Office of the United Kingdom (UK), is also to assess the risks, immediate and intermediate needs for screening, contact tracing, testing of suspected cases, and referral of confirmed cases to the treatment centre.
Although the district has not recorded any case of the new variant of COVID-19, the assembly and its collaborating institutions have heightened surveillance in the area to deal with any possible case of infection and prevent its spread.
Measures
The District Coordinating Director for Kumbungu, Mr Mahmud M. Osman, who disclosed this at a media briefing in Kumbungu last Friday, said the assembly had information that some visitors, including some head porters, had arrived in the district from the hotspots of the disease, hence the measures to help curb the spread of the virus.
“It is important that we ensure that the activities planned and measures that have already been put in place are implemented immediately following the announcement of the upsurge in cases in those hotspots, coupled with the arrival of foreigners and the head porters in the district,” he said.
“As a closely-knit society, we are all responsible for reducing our own risk of infection and that of our communities. Simple preventive measures that everyone can adopt to reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19, include frequently washing hands using clean running water and soap, or alcohol-based hand rub, wearing of face mask when going out of your home, refraining from spitting in public places, avoiding close contact with anyone who has fever and cough, avoiding handshakes, practising social distancing and avoiding crowded places, among others,” he added.
He said the fight against rumours and misinformation was a vital part of the battle against the virus and that all citizens were encouraged to report any rumour or suspected case of COVID-19 in the communities to the nearest health facility or call on the District Director of Health Services for proper investigation.
Adherence
Meanwhile, a visit by the Daily Graphic to the Kumbungu town and its environs saw non-compliance with the COVID-19 safety protocol as some residents were seen not wearing the face masks, while those who wore it did so inappropriately by wearing it on their chins.
Amina Issah, a resident, told the Daily Graphic that the wearing of the face masks at public places must be strictly enforced to ensure compliance as some residents had completely ignored that directive.
“The wearing of the face masks in public must be made compulsory to prevent a possible spread and infection in the district,” Mumuni Musah , also a resident, stated.
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