The Ashanti Regional Health Directorate has cautioned the public, especially travellers not to take COVID-19 test in any facility which has not been authorised by the Directorate.

According to the Directorate it had come to its notice that some of its staff were purportedly offering COVID-19 tests for travellers in some of its facilities without authorization.

A statement issued by the Directorate and copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Kumasi, said anyone who patronises the services of such an unscrupulous person does so at their own risk.

The statement signed by Dr. Emmanuel Tinkorang, the Regional Director of Health Services named the accredited testing centres as the Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital and the Regional Public Health Reference Laboratory.

"The Regional Health Directorate has not designated any other Ghana Health Service facility to do COVID-19 test for travellers and walk-in clients", part of the statement read.

It urged the general public not to patronise persons who claim to offer COVID-19 tests for travellers and walk-in clients in any facility apart from the three centres.

The statement also reminded the public that COVID-19 tests for contact tracing do not attract any fee and cautioned that any staff found culpable would be severely sanctioned.