A scene during the exercise
Two inmates in police cells of the Eastern Region Police have tested positive for Covid-19.
According to Acting Regional Police PRO Sgt. Francis Gomado, the two infected inmates who are on remand, have since been isolated and undergoing treatment to prevent the spread of the disease.
Sgt. Gomado was speaking in Koforidua at the start of the Eastern Regional disinfection exercise by the waste management giant, Zoomlion Ghana Limited, as ordered by the Ghana Police Service to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.
The police through Zoomlion are disinfecting all police facilities across the country as part of measures to stem Covid-19 infections, particularly in the cells.
It was started simultaneously on Monday in three regions – Ahafo, Eastern and Upper West regions; and yesterday it was extended to Eastern, Greater Accra, Northern and Central regions with others to follow.
Sgt. Gomado said the two inmates who were brought in from the Koforidua Prisons were tested and confirmed positive before being put in the cell.
He disclosed that at the time of the two testing positive, they were the only inmates in the cell so it was not likely there was going to be a spread among other prisoners.
Sgt. Gomado also disclosed that the Regional Command, as part of the efforts to enforce the directives on Covid-19, had embarked on an education drive first before full enforcement commenced.
He expressed appreciation to Zoomlion for the exercise and said it would help in the fight against Covid-19 in police facilities.
Regional Manager for Zoomlion, George Aguadzi, disclosed that the disinfection exercise would benefit 120 police installations in the Eastern Region alone.
NR Disinfection
In Tamale in the Northern Region, the Regional Police Commander, Timothy Yoosa Bonga, during the Zoomlion exercise, declared that the region would enforce the laws that required residents to wear their face masks.
“What I have been told is that we have witnessed a number of disinfections in the region. This is not the first time. We have been briefed on the importance of this disinfection, and I want to believe that indeed it is one of the contributing factors that we have not registered any of our officers being infected with Covid-19,” he said.
Central Region
In the Central Region, during the exercise at Pedu, the Commander, DCOP Habiba Twumasi Safo, appealed for regular disinfection of police facilities to help curb the pandemic.
She said a quarterly disinfection of their facilities would equally help protect officers and inmates.
Central Region Vector Control Manager of Zoomlion, Gideon Sogbede, said they expected to disinfect 120 police facilities in the region.