The Member of Parliament for Banda in the Bono Region has said the government's celebration of mediocrity in the management of the novel coronavirus pandemic has not helped in the fight against the spread of the virus.

The district recorded its first case on 22nd June 2020 with growing fears of the spread of the virus due to the weeks it takes to get results of samples. The victim, originally from the Eastern Region, who visited a friend in Banda could not be traced by the time his sample result came in three weeks.

Ahmed Ibrahim said the reality is catching up on the PR management of Covid-19 with the daily increases in confirmed cases. He urged the government to review its approach and deal with the situation head-on.

“When earlier complained about the length of time it takes to have results of samples, the government said they were doing well. But clearly, they were celebrating mediocrity in terms of the Covid-19 fight. 

"In our case, there was fear and panic in the district when the person ran away before his result came. The government should leave the PR work and be pragmatic as the reality on the ground indicates the management of the virus in Ghana is seriously challenged. Other countries are managing the situation and we should be able to do the same. The seriousness of the situation has come to bear with increasing confirmed cases leading to VIPs going on isolation and some falling”, he said in an interview with JoyNews.

The NDC MP presented 57 thermometer guns, 25,000 pieces of face mask, 2,500 pieces of hand sanitisers, 100 pieces of jumbo tissue papers, and 25 sets of Veronica buckets to support the resumption of religious activities in the Banda district.

Addressing a gathering in Banda ahead of the presentation, Ahmed Ibrahim called on the traditional leaders and the opinion leaders in the district to join the fight against the spread of the virus. He urged them to use every platform available to them to educate the people especially the youth on the safety protocols to avoid the spread.

Banda District Health Director, Simon Adams, expressed worry over the delay in getting results of samples. He however said the people must abide by the safety protocols to avoid the spread while they wait for contact tracing results.

“We have taken samples of 31 people after contact tracing. We are waiting for the results which could take another three weeks. It’s very challenging managing the situation with such delays in the outcome of results,” he said.

Adams also noted that the level of compliance with the safety measures in the district is very low.

“The security agencies would have to come in to enforce the safety measures because generally, people within the district continue to pay deaf ears to it even after recording our first case,” he insisted.

Pastor Lord Nkrumah, Church of Pentecost, Banda, said the items given them have lifted a burden off their shoulders, and as a responsible institution, they have key roles to play if the fight against the spread of the virus is to be won.

“We won’t do anything to affect the health of our members. Strictly we will abide by all the protocols. The church is a place to receive hope even as we engage in cooperate prayers to help deal with covid-19”, he said, adding “with the resumption of religious activities, church leaders will add their voice to the essence of adhering to the safety measures since members obey their church leaders”.

Health professionals from the Banda Health Directorate demonstrated to the traditional council, Religious leaders, and the general public how to use the items donated properly to stay safe.