Eighteen people who came into contact with a coronavirus patient in the Agona East District of the Central Region have tested negative.

The woman in her early 50s who tested positive was said to have entered Ghana from Niger through illegal routes after the country’s entry points were closed by the President to check the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Mr. Dennis Armah-Frempong, the District Chief Executive (DCE) for Agona East who disclosed this to the Media at Nsaba said the woman who was placed in an isolation center after testing positive on April 27, had now tested negative.

He said “the good news is that the woman and all the 18 people she interacted with on arrival in Agona East have all tested negative”.

 He said the COVID-19 Team in Agona East was anxiously waiting for the last test that will be conducted in the next couple of weeks by the Noguchi Memorial Institute to ascertain the next line of action.

Mr Armah-Frempong dispelled fears among the citizens and assured them that the frontline workers were on top of issues and were working round the clock to check the spread of the disease in the district.

Mr Armah-Frempong who is also the Chairman of COVID-19 Risk Health Emergency Team said, notwithstanding the negative results received after an active contacts tracing, the team would not relax.

He said the coronavirus pandemic was real and asked the chiefs and people in Agona East to endeavor to observe the social distancing and other health restrictions.

The DCE said the Assembly has supplied more nose masks, veronica buckets, tissue papers, alcohol based hand sanitizers and others to people free of charge as part of the efforts to support the fight against COVID-19 pandemic spread.

He said the COVID-19 team has also intensified its educational campaign in the various communities of the district to enable the people to know about the dangers pose by disease.

The DCE urged the people in the district to strictly follow the health restrictions pronounced by the President and Ghana Health Service to help overcome the spread of the disease.

Mr Armah-Frempong expressed appreciation to Mr. Stephen Amoaning, a native of Agona Nsaba who donated some masks and other PPEs to the Assembly for onward distribution to citizens in the district to protect them from contracting the virus.  

 The DCE praised the Paramount Chief of Nsaba Traditional Area, Osabarima Bishop Boappiah AfriyieIII, Queenmothers, Divisional Chiefs, and Sub-Chiefs for their sterling roles in the crusade against the disease.

Mr. Armah-Frempong commended the entire Muslim community in the district for observing social distancing and other protocols during the just ended EID celebrations.