About 5,200 basic and 79 senior high schools (SHSs) are expected to be disinfected in the Northern Region.

The Zoomlion Manager of Northern Region, Mr Peter Dawuni, made the disclosure when he spoke to journalists on the sidelines of the disinfection exercise in Tiyumba S/D School in Tamale, Northern Region.

According to him, the exercise which started yesterday was expected to be completed before the schools reopen on October 5, as directed by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo

He went on to explain that the exercise marked the third phase of the national disinfection exercise in both basic and SHSs.

Zoomlion Ghana Limited is carrying out the exercise in partnership with the Ministry of Education (MoE) and the Ghana Education Service (GES), he said.

It forms part of the government’s measures to fight the coronavirus disease, and also safeguard Form Two students of both SHSs and basic who would be going back to school to complete the academic calendar.

The Headmaster of Tiyumba S/D School in the Sagnarigu Constituency, Chief Justice Sully, whose school was the first to be disinfected, thanked the government and Zoomlion for the exercise.

According to him, his school was prepared to welcome the Form 2 students back to school.

“All COVID-19 safety protocols have been put in place to ensure that the students strictly observe them,” he added.

On the issue of social/physical distancing, the headmaster indicated that his school had more classrooms to accommodate the students.

“We will also enforce the “No face/nose mask no entry’ rule; in fact, that that is the school’s new logo,” he said.

He disclosed that the school was expecting about 180 students.

From the Tiyumba S/D School, the Zoomlion disinfection crew moved to Kalponhin S.D.A School, a basic school in Tamale North and then also to Bamba International Academy Complex.