The Adaklu District Director of Health, Charles Azagba, has appealed to faith-based institutions to use the pulpit to raise awareness about the novel coronavirus.

Religious leadership must disabuse the minds of their members of the non-existence of the coronavirus pandemic and does not appear in human form

"While you preach the word of God to your members, use those opportunities to also educate them of the existence and the need to observe all the safety protocols to escape the ravaging effects of the pandemic," he advised.

Mr Azagba who made the appeal in a telephone interview with the Ghana News Agency said Covid-19 was real and destructive.

He said the Adaklu District Health Directorate had formed a 13-member task force to educate the people on the need to acquire basic PPE and observe all the safety protocols.

The Director said the Committee was also tasked to enforce compliance of all the protocols in all communities in the district.

He said the communities were also directed to form taskforces, which would include; a health worker, Assemblyman or his or her representative, opinion and religious leaders and the youth to assist the district taskforce to execute their mandate.

Mr. Azagba appealed to all health facilities in the district to ensure strict compliance of all the protocols by their clients and advised them to step-up precautionary protocols and protect themselves before attending to their clients.

He said there were about 100 suspected cases in the district and that their samples were taken to the laboratory for testing, while the task force was keeping surveillance on the suspects.

The Director said using one nose mask always was not healthy and added that the re-usable masks should be washed regularly after use.

He therefore appealed to parents to provide their wards with additional nose masks adding "make sure your wards wear their nose masks before leaving the house."