The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, through the Common Fund Secretariat, has supplied Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assembly (MMDAs) with materials and equipment to enable them fight against COVID-19.

Each MMDA was provided with one hundred veronica buckets, one hundred dust bins, 50 cartons of sanitizers, one hundred packs of tissue paper and over 1,000 nose masks.

Dr Hafiz Bin Salih, the Upper West Regional Minister, revealed this in Wa on Monday, at the launch of the Upper West Regional sensitization and education programme on the COVID-19 pandemic.

Market Queens, Tailors and Dress Makers Associations, Hairdressers and Butchers Associations among others attended the launch.

This formed part of the measures instituted by the government to fight the pandemic and to control its spread in the country.

It would be recalled that on March 15, 2020, the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo ordered all schools to be closed down and all religious activities among others to be suspended as part of measures to curb the spread of the virus.

The President has also ordered the closure of all the country’s borders to curb the spread of the disease.

Dr Bin Salih said the government was aware of the potential economic, social and cultural impact of the COVID-19 and would, therefore, leave no stone unturned to combat the menace.

He said in furtherance of the President’s directive and measures against the COVID-19, the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service had been tasked to sensitise the public against dangers of the virus.

He also emphasized the need for the people to obey the President’s directive on the COVID-19 and to suspend all religious and non-religious gatherings including marriage ceremonies saying, “Any group of persons that flouted the order would be sanctioned accordingly”.

The Minister urged the participants to take the programme very seriously and to also educate their members on the precautionary measures against the COVID-19.

Dr Osei Kuffuor Afreh, the Upper West Regional Director of Health Services, has reiterated the need for the people to practice proper handwashing with soap in the fight against the COVID-19.

He said proper handwashing with soap under clean running water was essential and economical to practice in order to prevent contracting or spreading the COVID-19 as the use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers was expensive.

Dr Afreh indicated that currently, the country had recorded 24 cases with one death, with about of the five cases having no travel history.

He said in as much as they prayed to God and Allah to protect them and the nation against COVID-19, they needed to also practice the physical precautionary measures such as proper and regular hand washing, avoiding physical body contact and observing recommended social distancing among others.

The Health Director entreated vegetable sellers and traders to provide handwashing facilities at their points of sale, to compel their customers to wash their hands before buying theirs produces.