The Kumasi Central Divisional Police Command has warned commercial drivers in the Metropolis against picking passengers without nose masks.

He said the drivers would have themselves to be blamed if they went against the directives imposed by the Regional Security Committee to contain the spread of the coronavirus in the Region.

“Drivers are reminded that it is a breach of the existing health protocols should any of them decide to pick a passenger who is not wearing a nose mask,” Chief Superintendent Frank Abrokwah, the Divisional Commander, stated in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Kumasi.

In the same vein, he said, drivers and their attendants (mates) who also refused to observe those protocols would not be allowed entry to the Central Business District (CBD).

“We have a collective responsibility to enforce the law in order to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic,” he told the Ghana News Agency (GNA), during the interview. He said those who fell foul to the rules and regulations would be dealt with accordingly, saying the police would not hesitate to arrest any lawless driver or passenger.

According to the Ghana Health Service’s (GHS) portal on COVID-19, the country had as at Tuesday, May 19, this year, recorded 5,918 confirmed cases of the disease and 31 deaths.

Of the figure, Ashanti Region, one of the hotspots for the pandemic, has recorded 881 cases.

Chief Superintendent Abrokwah indicated that the disease was deadly, hence the resolve of the Police Service to ensure that the citizenry observed the strict health protocols for their own safety.

He asked drivers to adhere to the guidelines on social distancing, avoid over-loading and other practices that sought to breach the given orders.