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COVID-19: 624 out of 695 workers of Tema fish processing company test negative
At least 624 out of a total of 695 workers who tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) at the Tema-based fish processing company have recovered as the factory prepares to resume operations.
According to the Ghana Health Service (GHS), after all 1,300 employees of the company were tested for the virus, an additional 162 workers were found to have been exposed, resulting in the shutdown of the factory.
It would be recalled that in his last address, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo disclosed that one person had initially infected 533 employees of the fish processing company.
The infections, he indicated, were identified as part of a backlog of nearly 921 cases going back as far as April 26 that was only recently being reported.
Updating the country yesterday following an assessment into the outbreak at the factory, the Head of Disease Surveillance at the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Franklin Asiedu Bekoe said aside non-adherence to social distancing protocols, facilities like a staff bus and clock-in machines had exposed workers to the virus.
“Most of them were asymptomatic and currently we are aggressively identifying contacts of seven people who tested positive because we realise most of the workers live outside Tema and may have infected other people.”
To forestall any occurrence, Dr Bekoe said the GHS had ensured that the factory had in place hand washing facilities; “we have done floor marking to demarcate where people must stand, staff are to wear face mask and placed sanitisers at vantage points.”
“We have also created a holding room at the factory and a temperature check point at the entrance to quickly isolate workers in case of any event and with the level of compliance seen, they are ready to start operations soon,” he said.
In the case of Obuasi in the Ashanti Region, where a trader was said to have infected 17 others at the Obuasi central market, Dr Bekoe indicated that fact-finding visit to the area found, among others, that most individuals refused to wear face masks, “despite how densely populated the area is.”
“Although AngloGold Ashanti has a prominent hospital, we found that they did not have a treatment facility. You also do not see people wearing face masks and there is no holding or quarantine facility,” he observed.
To this end, the Head of Disease Surveillance said the GHS has initiated measures, including a voluntary mass testing programme, for high risk populations to curtail the spread of COVID-19 in the area.
“We are going to carry out enhanced contact-tracing in the very high-risk areas. Obuasi has very densely populated areas like Central Market, Anyinam, Asankore, Wawaso, among others. We are also going to do mass voluntary testing among certain risk groups, including taxi drivers and food vendors as a way of trying to address surveillance and contact management in Obuasi,” he said.
Dr Bekoe announced that in addition to resourcing the Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research (KCCR) to improve testing, government had secured a 100-bed facility as an isolation centre to help in case management.
Ghana now has 5, 918 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 1,754 recoveries and 31 deaths.
BY ABIGAIL ANNOH
The Attorney General has filed an application at the High Court seeking to set aside an earlier order that allowed Hanan Abdul-Wahab Aludiba, the first accused in a pending criminal case, to travel to the United Kingdom for specialist medical treatment.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Office of the Attorney General and Ministry of Justice said the application was filed on behalf of the Republic after new information came to the attention of prosecutors following the court’s decision on June 29, 2026.
According to the Office, the new developments significantly change the circumstances under which the court granted Mr. Aludiba permission to travel.
The Attorney General said court documents filed in support of the application allege that Mr. Aludiba attempted to use an order from a differently constituted High Court in a separate case to access money held in bank accounts that remain frozen under valid orders obtained by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO).
The Office said the bank reportedly declined the attempted withdrawal and informed the investigative authorities.
According to the statement, the alleged attempt happened shortly before Mr. Aludiba was scheduled to leave Ghana.
It said the development raises concerns about compliance with existing court orders, the integrity of the ongoing criminal trial, and the possibility that he may not return to face trial if allowed to leave the country.
The Attorney General said these facts were not before the court when it granted the travel request and could influence its decision if they had been known.
It said the application is asking the High Court to reconsider its earlier decision in the interest of justice.
The Office stressed that the application is part of the normal legal process under Ghanaian law and does not seek to determine the outcome of the criminal case.
It noted that Mr. Aludiba continues to enjoy the constitutional presumption of innocence until proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction.
The statement further disclosed that following his arrest, Mr. Aludiba has been granted bail by the Economic and Organised Crime Office.
The Office of the Attorney General said it will not comment further because the matter is currently before the High Court.
It reaffirmed its commitment to upholding the rule of law, protecting the integrity of criminal proceedings and ensuring due process for all accused persons.
By: Jacob Aggrey
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) has denied reports suggesting that GH¢308,000 was stolen from the Authority by one of its personnel.
In a statement, the DVLA said the money at the centre of the alleged theft case does not belong to the Authority and was not taken from any of its accounts.
According to the Authority, the case involves a personal dispute between two individuals, one of whom is a former National Service Personnel who currently works with the DVLA on contract.
It explained that although the individual is attached to the Authority, the alleged offence has no connection with its operations, finances or official duties.
The DVLA said it has not suffered any financial loss as a result of the incident and described media reports suggesting otherwise as inaccurate and misleading.
The Authority was reacting to a media publication with the headline: “DVLA Service Personnel allegedly steals GH¢308K to purchase Hyundai Elantra saloon car, a Samsung 50-inch television set and pay sibling’s school fees.”
It urged media organisations and the public to report the matter accurately to avoid creating the false impression that public funds belonging to the DVLA had been stolen.
The DVLA assured the public that its financial systems remain secure and that its operations have not been affected.
The Authority reaffirmed its commitment to integrity and accountability, adding that it has confidence in the legal process and will fully cooperate with the police if required.
By: Jacob Aggrey
