Mr. Drissa Ouattara, the Dormaa Central Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) has led a team of public officials to the Gonokrom and Kofibadukrom Border Posts in the Municipality to assessment the Post’s preparedness for COVID-19.

Members of the inspection team include the Municipal Directors of Health, the Ghana Immigration, and Custom Exercise and Preventive Services.

The team was at the two locations to assess the level of preparedness of port health staff to contain the COVID-19.

Speaking in an interview with the media at Gonokrom in the Bono Region, Mr. Ouattara said they had to visit the border since it was a legally approved route used by most drivers in the Municipality and other parts of Ghana to Cote d’Ivoire and vice versa.

It also afforded them the opportunity to learn at first hand whether there were adequate materials and tools in good condition at the ports to enable the health officials detect those who might have contracted COVID-19 either when entering or exiting the border town.

Mr. Ouattara expressed government’s commitment to ensure equitable distribution of personal protection equipment, logistics and other essential items due the Municipality and the health professionals to prevent the spread of the pandemic.

Mr. Stephen Nyarko, the Municipal Director of Health Services also said the exercise was also to secure the border towns and aimed largely to screen people entering and exiting the territory for various diseases.

“But with the coronavirus case emergence, we have roped that in and we are screening people for high temperatures. If they have above normal temperatures it doesn’t mean they have coronavirus, but we bring in more advanced technical people to perform further investigations.

“If it’s other disease, they are treated and discharged, if not we address the specific problem at hand,” he added.

Mr. Isaac Obeng Kwapong, Principal Port Officer, Gonokrom, revealed that they had enough personal protection equipment including, apron, head gear, googles, shoe covers, gloves, bio-hazard bags and hand sanitizers.

“When they come and they have high temperatures we call the Directorate to come and pick the person to the Dormaa Presbyterian Hospital for further checks. We take personal information from them, including their names, age, nationality, where they are going and their phone contacts,” he said.

He said there had not been any suspected case of coronavirus since its outbreak, adding that since last week 156 people who had crossed the border had been recorded.

The nationalities include Burkinabes, Ghanaians, Nigerians and Ivoirians, he stated.

Mr. Kwapong further said there was an isolation centre at the Port to confine those with suspected cases.

The team also visited the Kofibadukrom Border Post to familiarize themselves with activities there in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.