S/R: NDC Calls For Random Mass Testing And Equipping Isolation Centers

In the wake of the sudden spike in cases of Coronavirus in the Savanah Region, the Savannah Regional wing of the National Democratic Congress has called on the government to consider conducting random mass testing of residents for COVID-19 across the region.

The NDC in expressing shock at the sudden spike in cases of COVID-19 in the region believes the Akuffo-Addo government has lost the fight against the pandemic and is throwing its hands in despair.

In a press statement signed by the Secretary, Mr. Salisu Be-Awurbi, the party called on the government to earmark and equip containment and isolation centers in major towns and cities of the region as the existing one's are poorly ventilated and without the needed facilities.

According to him, proper fumigation of all public places and the distribution of locked up to face masks sent from Accra can help in the fight against the virus.

He said the government must consider mandatory testing of all students and teachers before reopening schools, whilst ensuring the necessary PPEs are supplied to the schools.

Among other things, the NDC scribe holds the conviction that a proper partnership with assembly members to sensitise communities can do a great deal in combating the community spread of the virus since the assembly members are closer to the people.

Read the full statement below:

NANA ADDO MUST WAKE UP FROM HIS DEEP SLUMBER BEFORE THE

CORONA VIRUS CONSUMES ALL PEOPLE IN SAVANNAH

The announcement of 34 new Corona Virus cases in the Savannah Region, 18 in the East Gonja and 16 in the Central Gonja by the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service has sent shock waves and justifiable apprehension to all well-meaning inhabitants of the Region. This brings to 35, the Total Number of Recorded cases in the Region.

This recent spike in the Region has come at a time that the Nana Addo's Government is absolutely clueless, has lost the fight against the virus, thrown his hands in despair, and virtually staring at the virus as if to urge it on to do it's worse and to leave the remainder to what the disease may choose to ignore.

We are pretty sure that but for the timely donations of PPEs by H.E JDM and his Parliamentary Candidates in the Region, which became and it's still the single biggest life-saving donations to Health facilities within the Region, a lot more people and Health Staff would have contracted the virus.

This has brought painful memories of the wicked agenda of Nana Addo Led NPP Government in not only delaying but frustration the completion of ultra Modern State of the Art Health Infrastructure which were generously bequeathed to the current government by the Visionary John Mahama Led Administration but which sadly ought to suffer needless project execution delays and some are sadly even recklessly abandoned.

If not, by now the Buipe, Sawla and Salaga Hospitals would have been running and saving lives. If these projects were religiously followed through, in the Nature H. E John Mahama had envisaged before souring funding and starting them, the Region would not have been gripped with this hysteric panic.

We, therefore, call on the slumbering Addo's Government, the Regional Minister and his Army of nonperforming District Chief Executives to at least exhibit leadership for once and do the following as a matter of urgency to save lives and property:

1. Liaise with all Elected Honourable Assembly Members, Unit Committees, Chiefs, and Community Leaders together with NCCE, Ghana Health Service, Health Volunteers, Community, and Environmental Health Staffs, and other relevant stakeholders to begin immediately, the long-awaited aggressive Community Sensitization and Education throughout the Region.

2. Distribute the locked up to face masks, the materials of which were sent down from Accra and to additionally procured many others using the monies received from the Covid-19 Resources recently approved by Parliament and distribute them to our market women, traders, youth groups, Palaces and School Children in the Region.

3. Conduct Random Mass Testing across the Region.

4. Properly fumigate, using the appropriate Chemicals, all public places such as markets, schools, mosques, Churches, etc. We insist and demand proper fumigation, not the Charade of fumigation that the Assemblies allegedly undertook some two months ago.

5. The Government must Properly Equip and earmark containment and isolation centres in the major Towns and District Capitals within Savannah. The centres must be meet the requisite standard for a dignified holding of patients. Those currently earmarked in the Savanah Region are not only poorly ventilated and illuminated but they are also poorly maintained, needing massive refurbishment and renovations.

To put few beds and mattresses together and name it an isolation or containment centre is an insult to the good people of Savannah. It betrays the huge sums of the taxpayer's monies Parliament approved for government to judiciously use it for the intended purpose of fighting to defeat Corona Virus. properly. We deserve better.

6. We hereby serve Notice to The District Chief Executives and Ministers in the Savannah Region that we are monitoring all the diversions of Public Goods to their private gains and that of the NPP Parliamentary candidates and that sooner 'NOT' later, they shall be called upon to account for their stewardship. They should desist henceforth the Practice of passing off John Mahama and his MPs Projects like that of their own. The project theft is becoming one too many. It is not the fault of NDC that they elected Incompetent Parliamentary Candidates in Savannah Region and no amount of Projects theft and crediting the same to the NPP Parliamentary Candidates will make the Bad Products appear Good. Our People are wiser than the NPP on Savvanah thinks.

7. With this spike in the Corona Virus case count in the Region, we call on the Nana Addo Government to test all students, if it's still insistent on reopening schools before they resume for their studies. We also call on them to be mandatorily housed, be fed, and provided with the necessary items that will make their stay conducive. This should include their Teachers.

The students should be cocooned from contacts with the external environment for the entire period of their stay in school while providing adequate PPEs and sanitizer for the Students and their Teachers.

8. We also call the administrator of the COVID- 19 Trust Funds to immediately and aggressively utilized the funds to fight the Virus at this time the Virus is stubbornly taking a stronghold on Rural Communities through the communal spread.

HON SALISU BE-AWURIBE

(REGIONAL SECRETARY)