The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), has appealed to the public to adopt safer ways of disposing of all used face masks and shields to minimise environmental pollution and associated health risks.

This, the Commission said, would further enhance the country’s efforts at eradicating the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gloria Amarkai Kudo, the La Dadekotopon Municipal Director for the NCCE, made the appeal when the Commission embarked on a sensitisation exercise at some voter registration centers within the Municipality on Friday.

The exercise, organised with support from the European Union, the Government of Ghana, the Ghana National COVID-19 Trust Fund and the La Dadekotopon Municipal Assembly (LaDMA), formed part of the Commission’s efforts at empowering the citizenry, to promote general adherence to the COVID-19 safety protocols.

Mrs Kudo said some of the protective gears, particularly the face shields take many years to decompose, adding that, such materials if not properly disposed of could end up in the ocean and impact negatively on aquatic and human lives.

She, therefore, advised proper segregation of waste to enable waste management companies to appropriately dispose of them, to avert any further health risk.

“We have realised that children are moving around and when they find these disposed face masks and shields, they pick them up. And with the way the face shield is designed it is so attractive that children would like to play with it.

"They also want to use the surgical masks and the rest because they have seen the elderly use them, and so if we do not dispose of them properly, this protective equipment will end up anywhere and these children will pick them, play with it and this can lead to further infections,” she added.

Mrs Kudo commended the electoral officials at the various registration centers within the Municipality for ensuring that all the COVID-19 safety protocols were strictly adhered to, by both the staff and the registrants.

The Municipal Director, however, expressed concern over the unending stigmatisation of persons declared recovered from the virus or had been discharged according to the World Health Organisation and the Ghana Health Service’s discharge protocols.

Mrs Kudo said such acts were derailing the country’s efforts at curbing the spread of the virus as many were no longer willing to disclose their status to health authorities for further treatment, for fear of being stigmatised.

“Once the people have been declared fit and have been discharged it means they no longer have the virus within their system. They are safe and we can live with them and, therefore, we need to show such people love instead of shunning their company,” she added.

She commended the Ghana Psychological Association for empowering staff of the Commission to offer educational assistance to the public.

Mr David Kwame Domeh, the Civic Education Officer, on his part, cautioned the public to be wary of where they purchased protective gears to avoid buying infested or already used protective materials.

The sensitisation exercise also formed part of the Commission’s effort to encourage the public to demand accountability, probity and transparency from duty bearers particularly on the management of the environment, as well as ensure compliance of the citizenry to the Rule of Law.