COVID-19: Protect Yourselves First—Minister Tells Border Security

The Upper West Regional Minister, Dr. Hafiz Bin Salih, has advised security agencies at the border to adhere to the precautionary measures to safeguard themselves against the deadly coronavirus (COVID-19) in the discharge of their duties.

He said they were the first point of contact with any person coming into the country and therefore needed to protect themselves in order not to contract the virus.

Dr Bin Salih gave the advice on Wednesday at Hamile in the Lambussie District of the Upper West Region during a visit to the Hamile Border Post to interact with the security personnel as well as to encourage them to effectively implement the government’s directive on the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Minister interacted with the Ghana Immigration Service, Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority, Ghana Armed Forces as well as visited the quarantine centre at the Saint Theresa’s Hospital at Nandom.

The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has directed that all the country’s borders should be closed and that any person entering the country should be tested of the COVID-19 as part of efforts to curb the spread of the virus.

“It is important that first you take very good care of yourselves, because those people who are coming, you are the first point of contact, so before you get to them, always ensure that you protect yourselves very well.

Put on your protective dress, your nose mask, wash your hands thoroughly, apply sanitizers and those who have access to this place, let them do that. I am happy that you have those facilities here, don’t compromise on that”, he said.

Dr Bin Salih indicated the government’s commitment to supporting the security personnel with the needed logistics to enable them to carry out their duties effectively.

While commending the security personnel for collaborating to safeguard the nation’s borders, the minister also urged them to ensure the strict compliance of the president’s directives.

“The nation is confronted with the COVID-19 resulting to the closure of the borders. It is our expectation that you ensure that the directive by the president would be implemented to the later”, he stated.

He stressed the need for the officers to be vigilant and diligent to ensure that people coming into the country were tested of the virus.

“The carelessness of an individual can cause the nation havoc, because once you are not diligent and the patient passes through without notice then that person also give out and give the disease to other people”, Dr. Bin Salih said.

The security personnel at the border gave the assurance that they would work assiduously to ensure the strict compliance of the President’s directives on the COVID-19.

The Officers indicated that they did not permit more than three people on board cargo trucks, as part of measures to enforce the directive on border closure.

They said there were about eleven unapproved routes at Hamile which was a challenge for them to safeguard, but indicated that with effective collaboration, they had surmounted those challenges.