The Sunyani Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Prevention Taskforce has now made street cleaning and gutter clearing exercise a compulsory spot punishment to reinforce the mandatory wearing of nose mask in the Sunyani and Sunyani West Municipalities.

As part of its operations, the Taskforce ensures the wearing of nose mask by everyone whilst religiously complying with directives and observing all health and safety protocols to prevent the spread of the COVID-19.

The Taskforce, since it started that operation on Tuesday has been compelling recalcitrant persons, both pedestrians and those onboard private and commercial vehicles to either desilt choked gutters, weed bushy areas or sweep, pick and clear rubbish on the streets and markets.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on Wednesday in Sunyani, Superintendent Haruna Alhassan, of the Ghana Immigration Service, the Taskforce Commander, said that strategy, while helping in keeping the Municipalities clean, was also serving as a deterrent to arrogant residents who always violated directives and preventive measures meant to stop the spread of the pandemic.

Supt. Alhassan said, “nobody, regardless of gender, age and profession found in any public place without nose mask would be exempted from this form of punishment because nobody knows who at which point was carrying the virus”.

Some residents in both Municipalities who spoke to the GNA expressed excitement and cooperation with the Taskforce for the institution of that measure.

Mr Ernest Adu, an over the counter medicine shop attendant applauded the Taskforce and the authorities for the "restless effort to protect and save residents in the Municipalities from being infected by the COVID-19".