Over 200 personnel deployed to monitor COVID-19 situation in SHSs – Government

The government has deployed some 200 personnel, including individuals from the Ghana Education (GES) Service and the Ghana Health Services (GHS) to monitor the COVID-19 situation in various Senior High Schools.

This follows the confirmation of six COVID-19 cases among students at the Accra Girls Senior High School.

The GES and GHS in a joint statement issued on Monday said the personnel have been actively spread out across the country for the task to ensure that the schools do not become hotspots for the spread of the virus.

The statement also added that all schools had been matched to various nearby health facilities to ensure immediate attendance to any suspected or confirmed COVID-19 case.      

“A team of 200 personnel, drawn from the Ghana Education Service, Ghana Health Service, the Regional and District Directorates of Education are actively spread out all over the country and are monitoring the situation closely. Further, all health institutions to which senior high schools have been mapped with health facilities to ensure that any suspected cases are promptly dealt with in accordance with the laid down protocols,” the joint statement noted.

Students of Accra Girls Senior High school on Monday staged a protest to put pressure on the school’s management to allow them to go home following the confirmation of the cases.

Many parents also moved to the school to demand the release of their wards to them over fears that they may contract the disease.

But the GES and GHS in their joint statement cautioned parents against taking their children back home indicating that such a decision leaves greater risk for community spread of COVID-19.

“Whilst it is understandable that parents would be anxious about their children’s welfare and may besiege the schools to remove them, it is strongly advised that this is not helpful particularly because if a student is infected, there is a risk of further contagion in the community if he or she is taken out of school,” the statement said.

Meanwhile, GES and GHS say they have provided all the necessary logistics including veronica buckets and hand sanitizers to schools to enable them to fight COVID-19.

They also said some head of schools and staff have been trained on how to manage COVID-19 cases.