Tightening Loose Ends Of COVID-19: Contact Tracing In Senior High Schools Intensified

There is currently a mass tracing of all individuals who in one way or the other happened to have come into contact with some senior high school students who have been infested with the COVID-19 by the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the Ghana Health Service (GHS).

This has become necessary after some students of the Accra Girls Senior High School (SHS) and the Konongo Wesley SHS, among others, recorded Coronavirus cases.

The Public Relations Officer of the GES, Cassandra Twum Ampofo, has revealed that some of the identified contacts have been put into isolation.

“As I speak, testing of all contacts of confirmed cases has started. For all those who have been confirmed as positive, we have contacted the people that they have also come into contact with and all of them are also being tested. GES is also going to fumigate all the affected dormitories. But per our reports, the six students [at Accra Girls’] are doing well,” she said. GES urges calm among parents

Cassandra Twum Ampofo also asked for calm among parents and assured that officials are doing everything to ensure the safety of their wards.

“We at the Ghana Education Service want to assure parents; it is understanding that parents will want to rush in for their wards but we believe that it will be the best decision to take. At least, they should let us test them to identify those who aside from the six are positive o we treat them. We encourage them that everything is being done to make sure that the students are safe.”

Six students of the Accra Girls SHS, a teacher and his spouse have tested positive for COVID-19 two weeks after final year students were allowed to return to school to prepare for their exit exams.

Some parents thronged the premises of the Accra Girls SHS yesterday, July 6, 2020, seeking to return their wards back home following the COVID-19 situation at the school.

Meanwhile, a total of 684 contacts who got close to some eight persons who tested positive for COVID-19 at the Accra Girls Senior High School have been identified by health officials.

This was disclosed by a Deputy Minister of Education, Dr. Yaw Adutwum at a press conference organized by the Information Ministry on Tuesday, July 7, 2020.

“At this point, 648 contacts have been identified and a number of them have been tested,” the Deputy Minister said.

---CitinewsRoom