President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has urged Ghanaians to wear their facemasks the right way at all times to prevent them from contracting the coronavirus disease.
In an address to the nation on Sunday, August 16, Mr Akufo-Addo commended Ghanaians for largely obeying the measures outlined to curtail the spread of the virus, including the wearing of face masks.
He revealed that the measures are yielding results based on the current active cases the country has with respect to the virus.
He said: “Our health workers will forever be in our debts, for the dedication they have put in to ensure these impressive statistics.
“We can help them even further by continuing to adhere to the social distancing and hygiene protocols we have instituted to stem the tide of infections.
“I have been encouraged by the results of a recent survey conducted by the Ghana Health Service into the use of face masks at selected locations in Accra that the overall intention to use face masks at the sites surveyed was very high, with 82% of person surveyed possessing a mask. I believe we can do even more, and reach 100%.
“The same survey demonstrated that only 44% of those who have the mask use them correctly. I urge each and every one of us to wear our masks, and do so correctly anytime we leave our homes. It is the new normal requirement of our daily existence until the virus disappears.”
The president further revealed that currently, there are no active cases in the North East, Savannah, Upper East and Upper West regions.
This he attributed to the measures that were put in place to deal with the spread.
“As of Saturday the active cases stand at 1,847. This is a clear indication that government policies are working.
“Currently there are no recorded covid-19 cases in the North East Savannah, Upper East, and Upper West Regions and I charge the residence to do everything possible to maintain that situation.
“Greater Accra, Ashanti, Central, Eastern, and Western continue to be the regions with the highest number of active cases.
“Thus far, a total of 40,567 persons have recovered from the virus.
‘This means our recovery rate has improved from 89.5% to 95.1% in three weeks. Our death rate continues, mercifully, to be low at .5%
“Happily, there are no backlog of tests at any of our testing centres meaning the situational report are up-to-date, Indeed test results that used to take weeks are now available within 48 hours.”
By Laud Nartey|3news.com|Ghana