The National Identification Authority (NIA) has directed all Supervising Registration Officers (SROs) to allow only twenty-five(25) persons including its officials at a registration centre in a given time.

The mass registration in the Eastern region was put on hold on Monday, March 16, 2020 at various centres as field officers awaited further directives following coronavirus scare after Ghana confirmed six cases.

A statement issued after a meeting with some key stakeholders said:“ all supervising Registration Officers (SRO} are to ensure, using appropriate queue techniques including numbering/appointment system to ensure that no long queue emerge at any center”.

It added ”all SROs shall ensure that no more than twent_five(25} persons including field officers present at registration center at any given time.SROs shall take the particulars of all applicants immediately they arrive at a registration center. The applicants will be called to attend the registration centre at a specific date and time on an appointment basis”.

The statement signed by the Head of Corporate Affairs Francis Palmdeti, further said “ after iris scanners are used by applicant, field officials shall wipe them down before administering them to the next applicant. Ensure that applicants keep a social distance of two meters when at a registration center “

The statement urged all field officers to remain calm and strictly adhere to good sanitation practices whiles efforts are underway to provide them with hand gloves and sanitizers.

“Wash your hands frequently with soap under running water as well as frequent use of hand sanitizers. Regrettably, all efforts by the Authority since last Thursday to procure hand sanitizers for field Officials have been unsuccessful owing to acute shortage of sanitizers on the Ghanaian market. The procurement Department is, however, intensifying efforts to procure sanitizers for distribution to field officers”

The mass registration exercise in the Eastern Region which is the last region for the exercise, started on March 4, 2020, and expected to end March 27,2020.

Ghana has recorded six cases of the coronavirus within a week with about 170 contact tracing and testing ongoing.

As a result, Ghana’s President after an emergency stakeholder meeting on Sunday, March 15, announced the suspension of all public gatherings including conferences, funerals, church activities for four weeks.

Also, all Universities, schools etc have been closed from March 16, 2020.