Workplaces now a hotspot for coronavirus – GHS

The Service is therefore asking that organisations and businesses implement techniques that will help them reduce human contacts in their dealings so as to prevent them from contracting the coronavirus.

Among the methods advocated, according to the Ghanaian Times, was the wearing of face masks, as well as observation of all the safety protocols including social distancing.

The Director-General of the GHS, Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye at a Minister’s Press Briefing in Accra Thursday, January 28, 2021 said;

“We must ensure that all people, staff and visitors are in face masks throughout their stay in the office and adhere to social distancing protocols.”

He attributed the outbreak of the virus to things in the working domain, such as door handles, desks phones, tables, computers, clock-in machines, among others.

The use of official vehicles and sanitary facilities at the workplaces by many persons, he said, also accounted for the spread of the virus.

To support his reasons, he cited that during the first rise of the virus in 2020, nine workplace outbreaks were recorded with about 700 confirmed cases adding that places where a lot of people gathered led to rises in the outbreaks.

He therefore suggested that businesses and organisations put in place, as much as possible, systems such as the shift systems and virtual meetings to help halt the spread of the virus at the workplaces.

Dr Kuma-Aboagye further proposed that organisations and businesses organize periodic fumigation, and involve company cars as well as encourage the practice of handwashing and sanitizing.

“We must continue to adhere to hand and respiratory hygiene. Always cough into a face mask, flexed elbow or a tissue and dispose of it immediately and wash or sanitise hands immediately. We must observe the between one and two metres social distancing protocol at all times,” he stated.

“We encourage virtual meetings and working from home policies,” he added.

The Director-General confirmed some 63,883 cases had been recorded, out of the 757,560 tests conducted as of January 25, 2021,

He added that out of the number of cases, 59,553 representing 93.2 per cent had recovered, while 390 had died, saying that all the 16 regions had active cases, with the Greater Accra having the majority.

“The number of new infections remains high but has stagnated, with no further increase being recorded in the last one week. The total number of active positives we have ever recorded is about 63,833. We have tested about 757,000 plus people with a cumulative positivity of 8.4 per cent, and our current active cases are about 3,940. We have recorded 390 deaths so far, and you can see that there has been a rapid escalation in the number of deaths in the last few weeks,” Dr Kuma-Aboagye said.

Meanwhile, Dr. Kuma-Aboagye divulged that his unit is also trying their best to decongest workplaces since their cases were quite on the high.