The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development in partnership with Zoomlion Ghana Limited has conducted the second phase of the nationwide disinfection exercise in the Upper West region.
The disinfection and fumigation exercise forms part of government’s coordinated efforts in fighting the spread of the coronavirus in the country. The exercise is the second phase of the national disinfection exercise and targets all markets, public toilets, selected schools, and business centres across all the 16 regions in Ghana.
The Upper West regional disinfection exercise begun on Saturday, 25th July 2020 after a short launch at the regional coordinating council.
In attendance at the event was the regional minister Hafiz Bin Salih, joint covid-19 military, police and fire service task force, disinfection experts from Zoomlion Ghana Limited and a group of media practitioners.
According to the regional minister, the disinfection exercise as a government initiative in the fight against the coronavirus spread across the country has become a permanent national policy which will see the disinfection of all markets, schools and public spaces across the country on a quarterly basis.
Thus, the exercise will not only be relegated to times of crisis but has become part and parcel of the national sanitation agenda in government’s commitment to safeguarding the lives of the people and ensuring the people live and operate in god health.
He also revealed that the region has been on an aggressive public education and personal fight in their own capacity in their response against the spread of the virus in the region.
Dr Bin Salih also revealed that due the elaborate measures put in place by the government, the region currently has one of the lowest incidences of the infection in the country.
Schools, markets, and all other public places in the area have been supplied with veronica buckets, personal protective equipment, and other items so that the national covid-19 sanitary protocols will be fully adhered to.
He also indicated that the region has been strict in observing all covid-19 protocols including the observance of social distancing, washing of hands, sanitizing of hands and the wearing of masks.
All 109 markets, public toilets, selected business centres and lorry stations in the upper west region were fumigated and disinfected. The exercise began around 8am briefly after the launch of the program.
A team of fumigation and disinfection officers, covid-19 task force from the ministry of local government and rural development and media were deployed to all markets and designated public spaces earmarked for disinfection the exercise.
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The assembly man for the Sing Electoral Area in Wa, Franklin Jerry S Poore spoke to a group of media men and women on the impact of covid-19 on businesses and on the lives of the people in the area.
According to him, the coronavirus has brought a lot of negative implication especially on the operation of businesses in the area.
He said that many of the residents in the area even after the lifting of some measures such as the lockdown have been careful of public engagements, hence slow business activity still continues to persist because the people are not convinced that the infection has slowed down.
According to Mr.Poore, the most affected of this group are the low-income earners. He believed strongly that the disinfection exercise will help restore some confidence in the people for normal business activities to begin.
He also commended government’s efforts in the fight against the spread of the virus in the area.
He was confident that although the infection has not been recorded in his electoral area yet, the fumigation and disinfection of the markets and public spaces will help clear any disease-causing agent in the air, including the novel coronavirus.
Some of the markets fumigated and disinfected in Wa include the main lorry station, Old market, Fadama market, Magazine, new market, Kambale, Zongo market, Piisi market, UDS market, small ruminant market, among others.
The disinfection and fumigation exercise is part of government of Ghana’s coronavirus response initiative through the ministry of local government and rural development.
It is the second phase of the nationwide disinfection and fumigation exercise which targets all markets, public toilets, and all business centres in the 16 regions of the country.
The exercise begun on Monday, 20th July 2020 in Accra and Kumasi.
The upper west region currently has 75 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, with 73 recoveries, 1 active case and 1 death.
By Melvin Tarlue