TMA assesses companies’ compliance to covid-19 protocols

The Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA) has started assessing the compliance level of companies operating in the industrial cum harbour city to the COVID-19 preventive protocols.

This follows the revelation from the Ministry of Health that companies were now a hotspot for the spread of COVID-19 as 533 employees of the Pioneer Food Cannery located in Tema Fishing Harbour tested positive to the virus.

A team of officials from the Assembly led by Mr Felix Mensah Nii Anang-La, Tema Metropolitan Chief Executive, Dr Sally Quartey, Tema Metro Health Director and Police Command visited Unilever Ghana Limited, Kaysens Gaisie Company Limited, and the Cocoa Processing Company (CPC).

Mr Anang-La said he and his team decided to pay unannounced visits to the companies to ensure that they strictly adhere to the protocols of hand washing, social distancing, use of hand sanitizers and wearing of nose masks.

He added that they decided to start with the factories that produced food items to prevent a recurrence of the large positive cases recorded at the PFC.

He urged companies and individuals to strictly adhere to the directives explaining that due to the Metropolis’ status of being an industrial and harbour hub; a lot of people from other districts come to the area daily to work a situation that put residents at risk of contracting the virus.

The MCE commended the Health Directorate for doing a good job and conducting mass testing to unravel the large positive cases in PFC adding that such testing was ongoing in other companies in the Metropolis.

Dr Quartey, on her part, said her team mostly asked a person to first self-isolate following a positive test result, adding that the team attached to the Metropolis was then informed to come and to transport the patient to the designated treatment centre.

On the number of positive cases and contact traced so far in the area, she said because it was an ongoing process it would be difficult to put a figure to it.

At the Unilever Company Limited, there were hand washing sets, hand sanitizers, and disposable masks while temperature of visitors and staff entering the factory were being checked in addition to filling of forms to indicate if a person had experience any of the symptoms of COVID-19 over the past two weeks.

Dr Kweku Sarpong, Company doctor at Unilever, who conducted the team around the factory, said the company had a holding bay in addition to its in-house clinic were persons suspected of having the virus were kept temporarily.

He disclosed that the company had one suspected case which came out negative after the Health Directorate took samples and tested.

At Kaysens Gaisie Company, all the COVID-19 protocols were in place as Ms Helena Gaisie Stephens, Chief Executive Officer of the company said workers knew that they are responsible for themselves and their neighbours, saying everyone must have the discipline to ensure that they complied with the directives to ensure that the early containment of the virus in Ghana.

The CPC also had a number of foot pressed hand washing sets at the main entrance and vantage places throughout the plant to ensure compliance.

Nana Agyenim Boateng, Managing Director of CPC said all protocols were being observed to ensure that the Company’s products were not contaminated.

He advised the public to consume more natural cocoa to help build their immune system towards fighting the corona virus, adding that cocoa contained the needed nutrients.