A joint ‘Operation Covid Safety’ and Sanitation Taskforce comprising officers from some Assemblies in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA), Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), Ghana Police Service and Zoomlion Ghana Limited were at the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange in Accra to enforce the wearing of nose masks in the city.

The team, led by the Mayor of Accra, Mohammed Adjei Sowah who was accompanied by the Municipal Chief Executives for Korle Klottey, Nii Adjei Tawiah and Okaikwei North, Nii Boye Laryea were deployed to all the four sections of the interchange namely, Circle to Achimota, Circle to Obetsebi roundabout, Circle to Accra as well as Circle to the Ring road.

They compelled commuters, traders as well as passengers in both private and commercial vehicles to either buy a nose mask on the spot if they do not have or put it on if they have. Mohammed Adjei Sowah said the exercise forms part of government’s commitment to intensify the mandatory wearing of the masks to ensure the health and safety of residents of the Greater Accra Region.

According to him, the prevalence of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly within the Accra Metro, was very high hence the reason behind the heavy security presence across the city to ensure compliance.

"Having looked at the data, we are targeting those communities to make sure that we cut the spread in those areas, and that is why you see us in Klottey Korle as well as within AMA, Madina, Teshie, LADMA and LEKMA areas, " he said.

In a related development, an Accra Circuit Court on Monday 27th July 2020 granted bail in the sum of GHC 15,000 with two sureties each, earning salary not less than One Thousand, Five Hundred Cedis (GHC 1,500.00) to some two persons who were arrested last week for alleged not wearing a nose mask in public.

The two Mr Umar Japhar and Mr Lawrence Atsu are to reappear before the court on 5th August 2020.

According to the Prosecutor Madam Linda Kumbuno, the two were arrested by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) Environmental Health Officers in collaboration with the military COVID-19 taskforce team on 24th July 2020 at Tudu in Accra after they were spotted in public without any form of face covering.

It will be recalled that the President Akufo-Addo on June 15, 2020, as part of measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID -19) signed a new Executive Instrument (E.1. 1 64) making it mandatory for every citizen to “wear face masks, face shields or any other face covering that covers his or her nose and mouth completely when the person is in public or leaving or returning to his place of abode.”

Per Section 6 of Act 1012, of the E.I. which was issued by the President according to the powers granted him under the Imposition of Restrictions Act, 2020 (Act 1012), “a person who fails to comply with the restrictions imposed under the Executive Instrument issued under subsection 1 of Section 2 commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine of not less than 1,000 penalty unit (¢12,000) and not more than 5,000 penalty units (¢60,000) or a term of imprisonment not less than four years and not more than 10 years or to both.”