Correspondence from Western Region

The Chief of Nzema Akropong in Ellembelle District of the Western Region, Nana Adu Kwame II has called on the Ghana Police Service and Ellembelle District Public Health Emergency Committee to storm his area and arrest his residents for failing to wear face masks to protect themselves from contracting and spreading the deadly Coronavirus pandemic.

His call follows a new Executive Instrument (E.I. 164) signed by President Akufo-Addo on June 15, 2020 which made it an offence for refusing to wear a face mask in public and the punishment, a prison sentence of four to 10 years or a fine of GHC12,000 to GHC60,000 or both.

The Chief had the opportunity to charge the police when GhanaWeb Western Regional Correspondent paid unannounced visit to the community to observe whether the rural folks were adhering to the Coronavirus safety protocols or not.

GhanaWeb's visit revealed that majority of the folks do not wear nose masks whenever they go out to trade or buy.

Some residents started looking for their nose masks when they saw GhanaWeb's Correspondent taking some shots (footages).

A resident told our Correspondent on camera that she finds it difficult to breath whenever she puts on the nose mask.

"When I spotted a certain woman in the market without a nose mask and asked her reason, she told me that she had given her nose mask to her daughter and promised to go for it and wear it. She also believes that the virus can visit their Community and because of that she had procured 100 nose masks but later on I saw her without any nose mask," our Correspondent reported.

GhanaWeb's Western Regional correspondent later visited the Chief of the area at his Palace to know why his residents were not wearing face masks, the Chief, Nana Adu Kwame disclosed that he had been doing announcement about the deadly virus so that they would use the masks but to no avail.

"...I have been doing announcement that everybody in my Community should wear nose mask but they are not listening so I will want Amoako (Ellembelle District Health Director Dr Augustine Amoako) to hear and decide on any punishment he wishes and gives to them and I will be happy," he said.

He stated that his residents believed that the Coronavirus could not come to the community but he said they had been informed that the virus had come.

He added that he had invited the District Health Director Dr Augustine Amoako to educate his residents about the deadly virus but according to him, no one is using the nose mask of which he the Chief is not happy at all.

"...they have told us that the virus has come but they (my residents) are saying the virus will is not here, do you know what the virus will bring, residents here don't wear it and I don't like, I don't like it at all, I have invited the Health Director to this Community to educate them on the COVID-19 but still they are not wearing it," he worried.

Nana Adu Kwame who is a Divisional Chief of Eastern Nzema Traditional Council therefore seized the opportunity to charge the police and other enforcing bodies to as a matter of urgency, visit the Nzema Akropong to start arresting those who were not wearing the face masks in accordance with the E.I 64.

"Is only advice that I will give it to them because right now government has brought a law that anybody that will not wear a nose mask when going out, the person will be dealt with by jailing you for four years so if they have come here to arrest them and remand them like it will serve as a deterrent to others so that they will wear it because the virus comes here, all of us will die".

He took the opportunity to advise them to put on nose masks when going out because the virus is real.

"The virus is there and very real, it is there and it is killing so many people. I will advise all Ghanaians that when you die you will not return so let us wear the nose masks whenever we go out, everybody should put on the mask especially the people of Ellembelle", he concluded.