Global Health Expert, Dr John Amuasi has called on the Electoral Commission (EC) to address ‘teething’ problems of a lax adherence to the Covid-19 safety protocols at some voters' registration centres across the country.

His comments follow footage of overcrowding and non-compliance to the basic Covid-19 safety protocols which were to be observed at some of the centres on day 1 of the exercise.

Speaking on PM Express June 30, Dr John Amuasi stated that if steps are not taken to ensure strict adherence to the Covid-19 safety protocols, there would be dire consequences.

“I hope these teething problems would be solved pretty quickly because the implication if things are not addressed enough would be dire with regards to the risk of spread, and I think we need to tackle this quickly and make sure they’re enforced both at the level of personal responsibility, wearing of the mask and then the level of responsibility of the EC which is forcing people to follow the social distancing rules,” he told Evans Mensah.

The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) had, in an earlier statement, called for swift prosecution of all persons including the EC staff, officials, commissioners, voter ID card applicants, observers and political party agents who may be responsible for any breaches of any Covid-19 preventive protocol.

Dr Amuasi, however, advised that the EC should take steps to reduce the level of verbal interaction between people waiting to be registered as this would also mitigate any potential spread of the virus.

He also encouraged citizens to prioritise their personal health while going through the process.

Ghana’s Electoral Commission has begun a nationwide voters’ registration exercise following the Supreme Court ruling in favour for the compilation of a new electoral roll ahead of the December 7 general elections.

According to the commission, there would be a total of 33,367 registration centres situated within the country, and the exercise is expected to be conducted in phases, each spanning six days.

The Electoral Commission says about 7,000 health assistants have been released by the Ghana Health Service to help ensure that the necessary Covid-19 safety protocols are adhered to at the various clusters.

Meanwhile, they are appealing to the general public to adhere to the safety protocols to ensure a smooth and successful registration process.

Also on the show, Head of Public Affairs at the Electoral Commission, Sylvia Annoh revealed that her outfit will conduct a thorough assessment of the day's activities and improve upon it in subsequent sessions.

She however believes the conduct of Day 1 deserved commendation, attributing the success of the exercise to the intensive preparedness of the EC.