Dormaa East: Town/Area Council Taskforce On COVID-19 Receive Commendation

The District Chief Executive, Hon Emmanuel Kofi Agyeman, who is the chairman of the District Public Health Emergency Committee, (DPHEC) on behalf of the committee has highly praised Area/Town Councils Taskforce on COVID 19 for their supportive role in ensuring extensive compliance of directives put in place to fight the coronavirus at the sub-district level.

The taskforce, which is six in all, were formed and inaugurated last week upon recommendation by the District Public Health Emergency Committee (DPHEC) to oversee the immediate adherence of directives by H.E. the President, following his Second Nation’s Address on the Coronavirus.

The taskforce were expected among other things to assist other stakeholders in the education campaign of the disease and the guidelines put forward to contain it, monitor and identify foreign citizens that may enter the communities, ensure strictly ban on social gathering and distancing and any other directive by local authority to kick out the disease

In a monitoring and evaluation exercise of the duties of the task force conducted by the DPHEC on Tuesday, March 24, 2020, it was revealed that people of the district to large extent, had understood the bad times in which we are, and were adapting to changes in the system with conformity to safety and precautionary measure to fighting the disease. Almost every public place had the use of veronica bucket and at least a type of soap around with just a few still in the process of getting one. All funerals and church activities, as well as a handshake, has since ceased. Social distancing was the major challenge the committee observed.

At separate meetings at (Asuotiano, Dormaa Akwamu, Akontanim, Kyeremasu, Wamanafo and Wamfie area councils) prior to the monitoring exercise, the taskforce who reported on their mode of operations, the extent to which they have come with their duties and challenges, pointed out few recalcitrant making their work difficult to the DPHEC .

Though some taskforce members were somehow skeptical and lackadaisical in the discharge of their duties, the chairman of the DPHEC, Hon. Agyeman says he was generally impressed with work done so far, toward the compliance of government’s directives in just a short time. He commended them for the various approaches deployed to ensure adherence in their respective communities. According to him, the District Compliance team made up of the security force, would from hence follow up to force those proving stubborn to comply with the use of veronica buckets and other precautions or have their businesses close.

He put the taskforce in charge of the maintenance and usage of the veronica buckets distributed by the assembly and those yet to be distributed. He encouraged them not to relent on their effort till all is said and done. He advised them to intensify education on social distancing and the ban on the use of napkins and glasses at chop bars and drinking spots as well as salon towels and grouping at casinos or hotspots to play games. He also emphasized on the need for especially children and any other person who has nothing doing outside to stay home.

The DCE again charged the task force to identify stores and market individuals who buy in bulk or sell on a large scale as wells as farm owners with large food and vegetable farms across the district so that the District can depend on them to feed her people should the need be for a total closure of the nation, he also task them to educate the people to keep extra essentials than usual to avoid frequent outings.

Membership of the Area/Town Councils Taskforce on COVID 19 include, Chairmen of the various Area/Town Council, NADMO Officers, Environmental Health Officers, Assembly Men and some Unit Committee Members.

RELATED DEVELOPEMENTS

NATIONALS SUPPOSEDLY MALIANS REPATRIATED FROM DORMAA EAST.

The District Public Health Emergency Committee, while on a monitoring and evaluation exercise in Kyeremasu of the Dormaa East District on Tuesday March 24, 2020, received tipoff from some indigenes of the influx of some foreigners into the town.

The committee led by the police commander DSP Asante and the DCE Hon Emmanuel Kofi Agyeman, followed quickly and found about 10 persons supposedly Malians, at the premises of the Kyeremasu Mosque. Upon enquiry, they said they had come from Kumasi, to Mem the previous day and were now in the kyeremasu town to sell their herbal medicine. This reason could not guarantee their stay due to the critical moments the nation find itself. They were immediately escorted by the police out of the district.

DONATION TO SUPPORT ACTIVITIES OF DISTRICT HEALTH EMERGENCE COMMITTEE

In a separate development, the NPP Parliamentary Candidate of the Dormaa East, Mr. Paul Twum Barima on Tuesday, March, 24 2020 donated one thousand Ghana cedis (GH₵1000) to support the services being rendered by the District Public Health Emergency Committee DPHEC in the fight against the corona virus.

Mr. Twum who is not in the District at the moment but saw the need to support the committee to with fuel to make routine exercise easier on the combat against the coronavirus in the district sent the cash through some party faithful.

He has also promised others support to the committee upon arrival. The chairman as well as committee members expressed gratefulness for the gesture. And asked for support from all who can.