The East Gonja Municipal Directorate of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has sensitised traditional authorities at the Kpembe Traditional Council on the COVID-19 pandemic and its preventive measures to help minimise its spread.

The sensitisation focused on the mode of transmission and symptoms associated with the disease and its management through the safety protocols.
The exercise formed part of the second phase of the NCCE's COVID-19 education and awareness campaign, which began this month aimed at stepping up the government's effort in mitigating the spread of the disease in the country.

The first phase of the exercise was held in June.
Mr Gariba Sato, East Gonja Municipal Director of the NCCE emphasised the need for citizens to rigorously adhere to the safety protocols outlined by the government and the World Health Organization to help tackle the increasing rate of infections and deaths in the country.

Mr Sato appealed to the Chiefs and Elders of the Kpembe Traditional Council to encourage the people to wear face masks when they went out of their homes, avoid crowded areas, frequently wash their hands with soap under running water and sanitise their hands with alcohol-based hand sanitizer to keep them safe from the disease.

He said stigmatising COVID-19 patients would slow down the country's efforts in combating the spread of the disease urging the Chiefs and Elders to lead the campaign against the act in their communities.

He spoke about the ongoing voter registration exercise, saying "The Electoral Commission has put in place measures to check the spread of the virus at various registration centres, so we encourage every qualified citizen to go and register to be able to exercise their constitutional right in the upcoming general elections."

Mr Kojo Titor, Secretary to the NCCE, Head Office, who was on a monitoring visit to the Municipality, said civic education was a shared responsibility, and "everybody must be a part of it to ensure we sustain our democracy".

He thanked the Kpembe Wura (Paramount Chief of Kpembe Traditional Area) and his traditional council for the opportunity given the NCCE to share the message on the disease.

Later, the East Gonja Municipal Directorate of the NCCE visited polling stations, Junior High schools, and other identifiable groups in the Municipality to educate them on the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing voter registration exercise.