Mr Mohammed Adjei Sowah, the Accra Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE), has called on teachers to inculcate facemask wearing in pupils while ensuring they comply with the other protocols to curb the spread of Covid-19.

"I have noticed that most of these children either pull their masks down or take it off when they are out of the school premises, which is not the right thing to do because this would expose them to the virus,” he said.

Mr Sowah gave the advice when he distributed personal protective equipment (PPE) and handwashing stations, donated by the UN-Habitat, to schools in Ga-Mashie as well as to assess compliance with the Covid-19 protocols in the schools.

He entreated the school authorities to include lessons on the Covid-19 and the importance of wearing the masks in their teachings to encourage the pupils to abide by them.

Mr Sowah, interacting with the school children, explained how dangerous the new variant of the Covid-19 virus was, adding that it spread more easily and quickly than the other variants.

"The new virus we are experiencing is using children to transmit to the elderly and is worse than the 2019 one ... This is why you must all wear your mask, wash your hands with soap under running water, use alcohol-based hand sanitisers and observe social distancing in and outside school to prevent its spread to others," he said.

The schools visited included Private Odartey Lamptey Memorial JHS, Bishop Girls School, Holy Trinity Cathedral SHS, St. Mary’s Anglican, John Wesley Methodist JHS, Adedienkpo Primary School and Accra Sempe ‘1’ School.