A/R: Police Begin Enforcement Of Nose Masks Directive

As part of measures to reduce community infections of COVID-19 in the Ashanti Region, the Ashanti Regional Police Command has begun an enforcement exercise aimed at ensuring that every individual who steps out of their homes wear a nose mask.

The exercise according to the Ashanti Regional Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Godwin Ahianyo which started over the weekend will see Police personnel stationed at vantage points to ensure that residents moving around are in their nose masks.

ASP Godwin Ahianyo added that persons who refuse to wear the mask will be instructed to engage in community service.

“Ours is to educate, encourage and also somehow enforce the wearing of the nose mask as it is a directive issued by the Regional Security Council. We started it on Saturday and we are continuing. Ours is to educate, encourage and also somehow enforce the recalcitrant ones to wear them and so that is basically what we are doing. Until this whole thing ends or we see that every single person is wearing the nose mask we will not bring the exercise to an end. On Friday some persons who were recalcitrant were made to do some kind of community work; some were made to sweep while others cleared debris.”

The Ashanti Regional Security Council (REGSEC) last week instructed the police in the region to enforce the directive on the wearing of nose masks, especially on those accessing public areas.

Following the directive, the police last Friday began an exercise to enforce the directive.

Thus, People who fail to comply with the directive to wear nose masks in the Region will be made to undertake instant community service as punishment.

The exercise which was carried out mainly in the Kumasi metropolis, saw the arrest of about 30 people, mainly trotro mates.

They were made to sweep and pick litter from the streets for a maximum of 10 minutes before being released.

The police also used the opportunity to educate the public on the need to wear nose masks to protect themselves from contracting the virus and also spreading it.

---citinewsroom