The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) on Tuesday said the Coronavirus has changed the basic fundamentals of human existence and this calls for a holistic paradigm shift to curb the spread of the pandemic.

“Even though we basically agree that we are not leaving in normal times, our operational attitudes and response levels are quite moderate. We must accept that COVID-19 has changed the basic fundamentals of our normal lifestyle and changed our attitudes.

“The COVID-19 tsunami has changed the basic fundamentals of mankind, we must respond appropriately and accept the behavioral and attitudinal changes in other to survive,” Mrs Lucille Hewlett Annan, NCCE Greater Accra Regional Director, told the Ghana News Agency in an interview in Accra.

Giving an update of NCCE Anti COVID-19 Public Education Campaign, Mrs Annan said the Commission has identified a need for the paradigm shift and the need for rigid enforcement of preventive health protocols as the way out and commended government efforts to ensure the compulsory wearing of face masks.

She said a comprehensive and adaptable communication strategy through both traditional and social media platforms and active roles by our traditional and religious leaders are needed and should be scaled-up.
Mrs Annan said a fundamental paradigm shift calls for embracing the traditional and state governance, systematic removal of structures that divide us as a nation and setting-up mechanisms for working together as one unit.

“COVID-19 does not know the government or opposition, master or servant, man or woman, powerful and rich nations or poor and weak ones, we are all treated equally under the face of the pandemic,” she said. Mrs Annan said the NCCE as part of its intensified COVID-9 public education efforts at the traditional and rural communities has offered the grounds for non-discriminatory sensitization, “we work together and survive or we against each other and perish”.

“COVID-19 can be defeated through effective communication, if we fail to comprehensively educate our people to understand the need to adhere to the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Ghana Health Service preventive protocols then COVID-19 will continue to spread."

Mrs Annan said the NCCE has embarked on a campaign in all districts, mainly at community lorry stations, market squares, radio stations and information centres on the need to stop the spread of COVID-19 immediately.

The NCCE is undertaking the campaign dubbed: NCCE Anti-COVID-19 Public Education Campaign with the Church of Pentecost, which has provided mobile cinema van to sensitise people within the Region.

The NCCE Greater Accra Regional Director said the focus of the NCCE broader COVID-19 communication strategy is to arm the citizenry with knowledge, expose the operational modalities of the enemy COVID-19 and strengthen each individual to stand firm and observe all the health protocols.

Mrs Annan said the Regional NCCE has adopted English and six other local languages: Ga, Ewe, Twi, Ga-Adangbe, Hausa and Dagbaani to reach out to the people.

She expressed concern about the lack of appreciation of the protocols on social distancing which is not being observed especially in the markets.
She called on the public to support the NCCE as it intensifies the public education on COVID-19.

Mrs Annan called on all to keep up-to-date information on the latest COVID-19 hotspots cities or local areas where it is spreading widely. “If possible, avoid traveling to COVID-19 hotspots – especially if you are an older person or have diabetes, heart or lung disease as you have a higher chance of catching COVID-19 in one of these areas”.