General News of Thursday, 8 July 2021
Source: 3news.com
2021-07-08
It’s right the school is closed so the disease can be contained
The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) says it fully supports the decision to close down the Achimota school in Accra to contain the spread of the new delta variant and the COVID-19.
The Ghana Health Service (GHS) and the Ghana Education Service (GES) have agreed to lock down Achimota School for the next two weeks.
As per a directive to the School’s authorities, no one will be allowed in or out of the school.
This follows the recording of the fast-spreader Delta variant of Covid-19 among some infected students.
Deputy General Secretary of the GMA, Dr. Titus Beyuo speaking on the Sunrise morning show on 3FM said it is a reasonable decision to take.
“It is a reasonable course or action to take and the reason is this: if you follow how the disease spread it only moves when the people who have it move so in an attempt to contain it, I know the health service is doing excellent work with the contact tracing there; they are tracing all the students there and looking at who they have come into contact with and monitoring them so if they allow over 150 people having been confirmed and a lot whom have recovered which is very good news for us, if they allow a lot of movement we are going to have problems with contact tracing”.
According to Dr.Beyuo, the way students handle the disease is different from how adults would handle it hence the decision to curtail their movements.
He said the level of quarantine may be helpful and believes the Ghana Health Service will follow sound public health principles which is aimed at protecting lives.
About 135 students tested positive for the new variant though 89 later recovered.
Authorities were alerted by the outbreak of the viral disease in the school after three students were taken ill between Monday, June 14 and Wednesday, June 16 for influenza-like symptoms.