The Western Regional Minister says it feels surreal to realise his colleague and friend, Anthony Kobina Kurentsi Sam, has passed on after suffering from a short illness.

According to Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, the late Mayor had been active on Wednesday, before going for a check-up at the hospital check.

He said they had talked on Sunday, only for him to die less than a week after.

“It shows how time flies so quickly and how we should all be in a hurry. We are extremely sad,” he stated.

The Minister called the Mayor a hardworking man praising his work in Sekondi-Takoradi especially following the outbreak of coronavirus in Ghana.

Building the Covid-19 isolation center, ensuring social distancing in markets - which earned the praise of Akufo-Addo among others are what Mr Darko-Mensah praised the late Myor for.

"I call him a frontliner," he told JoyNews in an interview.

The Mayor of Sekondi-Takoradi, Anthony Kobina Kurentsi Sam died on Friday, June 12, a few weeks after his personal driver tested positive for Covid-19.

According to the presiding member of the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly Kwesi Buckman, the mayor had been receiving treatment in Accra at the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC) when he passed away.

Mr Kwesi Buckman told JoyNews that while on admission the deceased was never allowed to speak to anyone and that “his phones were even off.”

“Last week Wednesday he was even in the office, but I’m told he was taken to Accra for treatment and was prevented from speaking to anyone,” Mr Buckman said.

The mayor’s driver was placed in isolation after he tested positive for the coronavirus but the mayor continued to report for work.

Officially, the Western Region has recorded 902 cases of Covid-19 10 recoveries and 1 dead.