Until The Operational Inequalities Are Addressed, We Won't Win Covid-19 Fight — NCCE

Mr Eric Adu, the Ahafo National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) Regional Director, said in a telephone interview that “One of such inequalities is the issue of how public education on the preventive measures to curtail the spread has been handled since the outbreak of the pandemic in March, 2020. We cannot end the pandemic until we address the inequalities that are fuelling it."

Mr Adu, who provided update on the NCCE Anti COVID-19 Public Education Campaign across the country, stressed the need for stakeholders to work together instead of the seeming competition for recognition, demonstration of superiority and making a claim of right in the fight against the pandemic.

“This is most unfortunate and must stop now. The truth of the matter is that no organisation can do it alone if we want to make progress as one people with common destiny,” he said.

“This is not the time for institutions to protect stakeholder comfort zones. It is time for sincerest and genuine collaboration and cross-fertilization of ideas and judicious use of state resources for the benefit of the citizenry.”

Mr Adu said the most significant recommendations that had been made by the World Health Organisation (WHO) is that communities were fully educated, engaged and empowered to adjust to the “new norms” of social or physical distancing to curb the pandemic.

Also worth noting are the regular hand washing with soap under running water, rubbing the hands regularly with alcohol-based sanitizer, staying indoors when there is nothing important to do outside, and wearing of face masks when leaving the house among other things.

Mr Adu said the COVID-19 pandemic had brought in its wake a new norm, one which everyone must adapt to as a means of curbing the spread.

“We should leave our comfort zones and eschew selfishness and greediness and place the interest of the entire country above any personal, sectional and organisational interests.”

Mr Adu emphasised the need for consistency in the dissemination of attitudinal change messages to bring about the needed reforms, adding; “The needed change will not happen overnight.”

“There must be frequent reminders to prompt people to refrain from old habits and adopt new ones through gradual and consistent processes of encouragement.”

“This means that all resources including human, institutions and logistics must be marshalled to pursue this difficult task in order to get the needed results”.

---GNA