Press Statement – 5th April,2020
I wish to announce with heavy heart that our Municipality has recorded its first two positive confirmed cases of the covid-19 pandemic on the 4th of May, 2020.
The two confirmed infected patients are couple.
A 56 year old man who is a resident in the Municipality and has no travel history outside Ghana was reported to the Hospital on Friday, 1 May 2020 and complained of symptoms that were in sync with covid-19. After detecting the symptoms such as cough, fever and other related complications, the Rapid Response Team immediately isolated and took his sample together with his wife who has also shown similar symptoms for examination and analysis at the Noguchi Memorial Research Institute, Accra. The test result showed both were positive of covid-19.
The patients (couple) are currently in isolation at the appropriate designated centre for special medical attention.
These are the first two cases recorded in the Municipality out of the 21 cases recorded in the Western region, and the over 2000 cases recorded nationwide. However, we are standing by the couple and will offer the needed support to assist in containig the situation.
As a Team, we have not relented in conducting the appropriate contact tracing in order to minimize the number of contacts.
Moreover, the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipal Rapid Response Team is working in collaboration with other key stakeholders to ensure stringent measures are put in place to avoid further cases in the Municipality and to protect the health of the citizenry.
We hereby again admonished all residents within the Municipality to stick to the necessary precautionary mesures spelt out by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the directives from His Excellency the President of the Republic of Ghana.
These includes;
1. Avoiding social gatherings and strictly adhering to the social distancing protocol at all public places.
2. Frequent washing of hands thoroughly with soap under running water
3. Regularly using acohol based hand sanitizers
4. Compusary wearing of the nose mask and
5. Staying at home as much as possible.
Our Enforcement Team will ensure all traders abide by the new shift system which has been immediately instituted at the various existing markets.
We further encouraged the media and all other relevant stakeholders to collaborate with the Publicity and Risk Communication Team to intensify the public education campaign on the disease. Nevertheless, the Tarkwa Municipal COVID-19 Team is working tirelessly to come out with other better alternatives that could help the Municipality contain the situation.
We are also using this opportunity to entreat all members to keep calm and not dread over the situation, but take the reality of covid-19 seriously and stick to the measures that can help us fight this unwelcome stranger, covid-19.
The Team is equally opened to the media, the citizenry and all other stakeholders, should there be the need for further information and collaboration that could help us make informed decision to help deal with this enemy, COVID-19.
We further cautioned individuals and companies to desist from stigmitization, unnecessary spread and releases of unconfirmed information relating to the COVID-19.
We are also encouraging all residents in the Municipality to allay fears and panics, and join efforts to combat the only uninvited intruder, Covid-19, which is parading our nation, cities and homes. Together we can fight and win over this seasonal pandemic.
We wish everyone safety and believe with the good Lord support, we will emerge victorious over this canker.
Thank you