The Ghana Health Service has cautioned Ghanaians against the wearing of face shields alone when in public.
At the Ministry of Information’s press briefing on Covid-19 Tuesday, Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, said the government observed with concern a popular trend where people to step out of their homes wearing only a face shield in a bid to conform with the law on mandatory wearing of face masks.
“It has become necessary because we have noticed that increasingly that a lot of Ghanaians are resorting to, in their bid to be compliant with the Executive Instrument, are resorting to the wearing of face shields alone”, he said.
He said the practice does not augur well for public health for which reason the government deems it fit to put out a caution.
Addressing the issue, head of surveillance at the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Franklin Asiedu-Bekoe, explained the face shields are only meant to be used in specific situations, an instance being where an engagement with the deaf requires the use of sign language which include facial expressions.
He said the face mask is the priority when it comes to protecting oneself against Covid-19
“For the purposes of addressing the spread of infection, the first point of call (Sic) is the face mask”, he noted.
He urged Ghanaians to stick strictly to the use of face masks and all the Covid-19 safety protocols to mitigate the spread of the pandemic.
“We would like to implore all Ghanaians that let’s use the face mask, that is the surest way you can actually prevent yourself from getting infection”, he advised.
Dr. Asiedu-Bekoe empathized that if the face shield must be worn, it must be on top of a face mask and never “an alternative to the use of a face mask”
Meanwhile, Ghana’s COVID-19 case count has increased by 264 cases, inching the total as at Tuesday, July 14, to 25,252, while deaths are at 139 and 21, 391 recoveries and discharges. This leaves the number of active cases at 3,716.
By 3news.com|Ghana