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1,729 basic schools in Bono, Bono East and Ahafo Regions undergo disinfection
In an effort to protect pupils in basic schools against the coronavirus disease, Zoomlion Ghana Limited on Monday, begun disinfecting both public and private basic schools in the Bono, Bono East and Ahafo regions.
The exercise, which will last for about a week, will cover 1,729 basic schools in the three regions.
Speaking to journalists, the Regional Director of Education, Bono, Bono East and Ahafo Regions, Dr Peter Attefuah, urged parents to allay the fears of their children that when they return to school they would contract COVID-19.
He assured that measures were in place to protect the students and pupils against the COVID-19 attack.
With observation of social and physical distancing, he said, each SHS class would accommodate a maximum of 25 students.
In this regard, Dr Attefuah advised parents to provide their children with all that they would need on campus, insisting that “visitors would not be allowed for the period that they will be on campus till they finish writing their exit final paper.”
He also charged parents to buy nose masks in addition to the three the government would be giving to every student.
He, therefore, implored the students to comply with all the COVID-19 safety protocols.
At Nkwabeng, a suburb of Sunyani in the Bono Region, which was the first port of call, a crew of six Zoomlion field officers with knapsack sprayers disinfected the Boanhen Korko A/B Presby Model, a cluster of Presbyterian schools.
And here classrooms from kindergartens (KGs), lower primary and the JHSs were all disinfected.
For his part, the Regional Manager of Presbyterian Schools for the three regions – Mr Eugene Laryea – announced that the schools had already put measures in place to protect their pupils, noting that they had all bought “Veronica buckets, soaps and also alcohol-based hand sanitisers which would be made available to the pupils when they resume.”
According to him, the schools also formed task-forces whose responsibility would be to enforce the COVID-19 protocols amongst the pupils.
He, therefore, urged parents to ensure that they prepare food for their children to bring along when they were coming to school.
The Writer Bureau Manager of Zoomlion Ghana Limited, Robert Kwaku Adjei, revealed that the disinfection of about 65 senior high schools (SHSs) in the three regions (Bono, Bono East and Ahafo) would start today.
He said already his outfit had disinfected 30 tertiary institutions in the three regions.
Source: Ghanaian Times
The family of Ambassador James Victor Gbeho, a distinguished statesman and diplomat, has paid a courtesy call on President John Dramani Mahama. They officially informed him of his passing.
The delegation, representing the Gbeho family, noted that it was culturally and diplomatically important to formally notify the President of the loss before making a public announcement of his death.
Ambassador Gbeho was a towering figure in Ghanaian and international politics. He served in many diplomatic missions, including New York. He was Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, a Member of Parliament for the Anlo constituency, and President (formerly Executive Secretary) of the ECOWAS Commission.
He was widely respected for his role in regional integration and his contributions to global diplomacy at the United Nations.
President Mahama expressed his condolences and shared reflections on Ambassador Gbeho’s contributions to the country, West Africa and the world.
Funeral details will be announced later.
The Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, has revoked all firearm permits in Ghana with immediate effect and announced a new registration process for all gun owners.
The minister made the announcement on Tuesday, June 23, at the information service department saying all individuals who currently hold licences to own firearms or sidearms must undergo a fresh registration process.
“From this afternoon, all permits that have been granted to any individual that you are holding a sidearm or firearm is hereby revoked,” Mr Muntaka said.
He explained that the government had identified gaps in the country’s firearm registration system and needed to introduce stricter measures to improve public safety.
“We are opening the window where everyone will have to come forward again to register or re-register the gun because we’ve changed the procedure,” he stated.
According to him, the government decided not to wait until the end of the year to make the changes because lives could still be saved within the next six months.
The Interior Minister said one of the new requirements would be mandatory mental health screening for applicants seeking firearm licences.
“We’ve seen that people with mental health have already gone through and have the sidearm. Now we are introducing mental health. Before we give you the sidearm, we have to be sure that you have the mental stability to hold the firearms,” he said.
Mr Muntaka also announced that applicants would be required to undergo drug tests before being granted licences.
“We’ve also realised that people who are on drugs are also holding their arms and they are legitimate because it’s been registered. Now you have to go through drug tests to be sure that you are not on drugs before you can hold sidearms,” he added.
The minister said the new measures form part of efforts by the government to tighten firearm control and prevent legally registered weapons from falling into the wrong hands.
He urged all firearm owners to cooperate with the new registration process once details of the exercise are announced.
By: Jacob Aggrey
