Enforcing Face Mask Wearing In Accra Challenging – Taskforce

The Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA) taskforce says it is highly challenged in its efforts to enforce the wearing of face masks directive.

The taskforce said it is also concerned that the lack of adherence to the directive may cause a spike in COVID-19 cases in the country.

The Coordinator of the GAMA taskforce, Nii Adjei Tawiah in a Citi News interview said the taskforce has recently observed the trend of many people gathering in public spaces without masks in the metropolitan area.

“People are wondering why we are complaining because the active cases are going down and we don't seem to see the need to wear face masks. When lots of young people are together, it is even difficult to use the police and army because people will take photos and videos and put on social media saying that we are being too heavy-handed with dealing with people but it needs to be down. In the townships, it is difficult, it is a challenge so we need to do more, we need to continue wearing the face mask,” he said.

President Akufo-Addo in April 2020 urged Ghanaians to start wearing face masks as part of efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19 in the country.

A few weeks later, legal frameworks were drawn to make the wearing of facemasks compulsory.

The Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, at a recent press conference expressed worry over what he said was the low level of compliance to the wearing of face masks in the country.

The Ghana Health Service's concern was based on a survey it conducted in the Greater Accra Region where it found out that only 14.4% of the population in the region wear face masks appropriately and on regular basis.

“Greater Accra is the one that is driving the pandemic [in Ghana] and so it is extremely important that we reset and go back and start wearing the mask so that as active cases are coming down, it will continue to go down. We started with one case and now 43,000. Where we are now, we need to be very careful. That is our major worry and we need to intensify the campaign [for wearing face masks],” the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Patrick Kumah Aboagye noted.

As of Sunday, August 30, 2020, Ghana's cumulative COVID-19 case count is 44,205 with 42,777 recoveries and 276 deaths.

The number of active cases is 1,152.

— citinewsroom