The government is considering an inspection regime for workplaces to ensure compliance with COVID-19 safety protocols.
Responding to a question on the matter at a press briefing on Tuesday, the Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah said: “more daring steps will be taken on workplaces that are found to be openly flouting these regulations.”
He noted that the Ministry of Trades and Industry has a factory inspection unit and “we are exploring how to step that up to go a bit beyond that.”
“If it becomes necessary to take more drastic steps, we will let the nation know,” he said.
The government has consistently warned that workplaces are contributing to recent surges in COVID-19 cases.
It outlined safety measures to guide institutions to tackle the spread of the virus at their premises.
After the lockdown of Accra, Kasoa, Kumasi and Tema was lifted in April Ghana has seen COVID-19 cases rise from 1,042 to the current figure of 23,463.
A number of workplaces, including state institutions, have had to close down because of significant infections.
The most extreme incident of workplace infections occurred at a fish-processing factory in Tema where one worker is believed to have infected 533 other workers at the facility.
The spread at the factory garnered international attention as it was the largest number of confirmed cases within a single organisation in Ghana.
The Ghana Health Service has attributed the spike in coronavirus cases at workplaces to the disregard for safety protocols.
At the same presser, the Director-General of the service, Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye complained that most people work in crowded environments leading to the spikes.
He has therefore urged employers to work towards better social distancing.
“These same [infected] persons either pick it [the virus] up from the workplace and take it to the communities where they live enhancing the spread or they the bring from the communities and spread at the workplace because certain etiquettes are not being followed,” Dr. Kuma-Aboagye said.
Source:Fiilafmonline/CitiNews
