Health authorities in the Ashanti Region are to embark on an initiative to encourage residents to wear face masks in the wake of rising Covid-19 infections.

As part of the exercise, each person will receive three face masks for free.

It follows growing concerns about public apathy to preventive protocols, especially the wearing of facemasks.

Ashanti Region’s case count as of July 10 stands at 5,150, with 58 deaths, the highest regional toll.

Regional Health Director, Dr Emmanuel Tinkorang says the directorate has the Asantehene’s blessings to solicit for 15 million facemasks for 5 million residents.

"We are going to empower people. We are going to share facemasks. For people who can sew for us, we are going to create a foundation just to donate facemasks."

He told JoyNews' Ohemeng Tawiah that "we will go about and as we educate we also share and later we will see how the law enforcement agencies will help us with the enforcement.

He, however, lamented the high rate of the virus' spread in the Kumasi. The city leads the metropolitan, municipal and district breakdown of Covid-19 cases across the Ashanti Region with 1,320.