The Ahafo Regional Director of Health Services, Dr. Boakye Boateng has revealed that over 10 senior high school students have tested positive for COVID-19.

Dr. Boateng has also disclosed that Twenty-four (24) health workers are also battling with the virus.

Speaking in an interview with Citi News, Dr Boateng said “In Ahafo Region, we have 24 of our staff who are confirmed COVID-19 cases. All of them are in isolation, one of them has recovered and for the students too, we have ten of our students, eight of them are in self-isolation. One has been discharged.

“Currently, contact tracing is ongoing to ensure that we get all of them for testing. Gradually, people are getting used to COVID-19. They seem to have relaxed some of the instructions we have given them. We have to work in terms of risk communication and social mobilisation. We have to let them know COVID-19 is real and since there is no vaccine for it, they have to abide by the safety protocols.”

Meanwhile, the government has indicated that closing down schools due to the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the various SHSs is not the best option.

“Closure of schools from the health point is not the best option, it is best we keep them in schools because if we decide to let them go home then we might as well close down the whole country…from what we have been told they are asymptomatic, so they are able to go about their studies.”

Prof. Opoku Amankwah added that “we are hoping that when they get to the exam time because we have two or three weeks before they write exams, all issues will subside…but sending them home will be disastrous,” Director-General of the Ghana Education Service, Professor Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa said on Tuesday.