The production of thousands of face masks for the people of Asuogyaman by the aspiring Member of Parliament for the area, on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party, as part of measures to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus in the Asuogyaman constituency of the eastern region has begun in earnest.

Mr. Paul Asare Ansah with the support of the NPP in the constituency, is using his six months’ salary, that’s January to June, 2020 as Technical Director to the Ministry of Transport, to finance the production of the face masks by establishing its production center at Senchi.

The center is projected to produce up to 100,000 masks or more if need be, according to Mr. Ansah, with the covers being made from Ghana’s colourful, printed cotton and are reusable.

A hotel has been retrofitted to produce the face masks with workers being charged with producing as many as 100,000 masks for free distribution to all members of the constituency.

The factory with a workforce of fifty dressmakers drawn from various communities in the constituency, began the mass production on Monday, 4th May, 2020 and is expected to complete its target in the coming days.

Explaining the reason behind the production, the NPP parliamentary candidate said the distribution of the face masks were to ensure that residents had the mask in respect of the by-laws of the Asuogyaman District Assembly which makes the wearing of face masks compulsory.

Distribution of face masks and sanitizers

Mr. Ansah together with party executives of the NPP in the Asuogyaman Constituency, began the house to house distribution of the face masks and sanitizers to residents by sharing about 20,000 masks to various homes and communities in the constituency on Thursday, May 7, 2020.

The Parliamentary Candidate and his executives used the one on one distribution of the masks to educate the people on the use of face masks and demonstrated its proper fixing to them.

The distribution is expected to continue to other communities of the constituency.

The PC together with party officials began the distribution by paying a courtesy call on the chiefs and people of Apegusu.

Adongten-Gyasehene of Apegusu expressed the appreciation of the people to the New Patriotic Party and its Parliamentary Candidate for their support and commitment to the fight against the coronavirus.

Nana Ofori Nyarko II said chiefs must contribute to the fight by educating its people on the pandemic.

As parts of efforts by the chiefs of the area to educate the people, the Gyasehene said education was already ongoing in the area as they resorted to the use of information centers to educate the people.

On her part, Nana Adwoa Ojuraa II who is Queen mother for Apegusu and Adontenhemaa for Akwamu Traditional Area asked for government support for the people with masks and sanitizers.

She also called for community testing of the area following the outbreak of the covid-19 in Asuogyaman.

Though samples of people who came into contact with infected persons had been taken for testing, the Queen mother said contacts still lived in the community with its resultant risk of infection, a situation she expressed concern about.