There are reports that some water agency officials in some parts of the region were limiting residents to two buckets of water a day.

Mr Duncan said government as much as possible understood the needs of people in these trying times and water supply agencies must not place any impediments that could prevent people from getting access to adequate water.

Mr Duncan was speaking at a meeting with all metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives, police commanders, water agency managers, senior health professionals and the media in the region today [Monday, April 14, 2020] to assess the region's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Government will bear cost

Mr Duncan reiterated that government would bear the cost and that there was no need to be economical with the water.

"Unless we have cause to believe that the people are misusing or wasting the water; I don't think you should limit the amount of water they fetch," he stated.

He asked the MMDCEs to work with the agencies involved to resolve all outstanding issues relating to the free supply of water for three months to the various communities as directed by the president.

He also asked the MMDCEs to collaborate effectively with the security agencies to enforcing the social distancing protocol.

Adopt machoism

He asked them to be firm, show some machoism and sternness in enforcing the social distancing rule.

Media support

He also urged the media to use their channels to support efforts at getting the right information to the communities.

"We are not in normal times and it is essential that our reportage does not bring agitation in the communities," he stated.

The Regional Director for the Community Water Sanitation Agency (CWSA), Mr Kwesi Brown said though some of their water facilities were under pressure due to increase in demand, the agency would work to ensure communities had access to water for free as directed by the president.

He said the limits on how much water could be fetched could have been miscommunication from officials saying it would be investigated and rectified.

Regional status

Speaking on the regional situation of the COVID-19, the Central Regional Director of Health, Dr Akosua Owusu-Sarpong said 84 persons who entered the region by sea had been quarantined.

She said 273 samples had been taken for testing with 155 coming back negative.

She said the rest of the results were still pending.

There is still one confirmed case in the region.

The Central Regional Police Commander, Commissioner of Police, Paul Manly Awini, said the regional command would continue to arrest people who flout the restrictions and social distancing rules in relation to the pandemic.

The Central Regional Chief Manager of the Ghana Water Company Limited, Mr Philip Dwamena-Boateng said the company was mounting 72 water tanks in distressed communities to give them access to water.