The Upper East Regional Director of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Winfred Ofosu, has called on all municipal and district assemblies in the Region to close their markets temporarily or draw a time table for traders due to non-observance of social distancing.
He observed that the overcrowding at those markets could aid the rapid spread of the COVID-19.
Dr Ofosu made the call after he received some items to help fight the disease from a Civil Society Organisation comprising natives of Bolgatanga, Nabdam, Bongo and Tongo (BONABOTO) in Bolgatanga.
The items included Veronica buckets, alcohol-based hand sanitizers, boxes of handwashing soap and gloves.
Dr Ofosu expressed gratitude to BONABOTO for the support and stated that at the onset of the pandemic, BONABOTO had been complementing government’s efforts in tackling the menace.
It had also supported the Directorate in developing educational messages on the pandemic in local languages for radio broadcast.
He said government alone could not fight the disease and implored corporate bodies, Non-Governmental Organisations and individuals to complement efforts at tackling the canker.
Dr Ofosu urged the people not to panic but rather adhere strictly to the President’s directives and the World Health Organisation’s protocols on the disease.
He said as part of measures to curb the spread of the pandemic, many interventions including the distribution of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and the training of more health staff on it was ongoing in the Region.
He later distributed the items to the beneficiary district health directorates including the Bolgatanga Municipal, Bolgatanga East, Bongo, Nabdam and the Talensi.
Mr Esmond Agurgo Balfour, the Regional Chairman of BONABOTO, who presented the items, commended the staff of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and other professional bodies in the Region for working hard to help curb the spread of the COVID-19.
He appealed to residents to obey the preventive protocols, particularly social distance and constant handwashing with soap and running water.
