The Tema Metropolitan Directorate of the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) has embarked on a COVID-19 sensitisation programme on the adherence of the safety protocols to curb the spread of the disease.

The Tema NADMO officials engaged residents in the Metropolis at strategic location to sensitise them on the need for the safety protocols and how deadly the new variant was.

Mr. Ebenezer Cudjoe, Tema Metro NADMO Director in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Tema said "due to the challenging nature of the COVID-19 situation and the new wave or the new variant, it has become necessary for NADMO to step in and educate the public".

Mr Cudjoe therefore indicated that "it has become part of the core mandate of NADMO to educate the populace to know "that the pandemic is real and it has come to stay until we get a vaccine."

He said "The underlying word is disaster, and disasters are in so many forms. The rate at which the sickness is killing people has made the situation a disaster, so NADMO has to join in the public education to ensure that people get the right message to do the right thing."

He said NADMO was not a law enforcement agency, "Ours is to go and appeal to them; we are being proactive just to prevent the occurrence of the disease and not to wait for disaster to strike before we come in to assist."

The Tema Metro NADMO Director observed that it was difficult to change the attitudes of people, so there was the need to be persistent in communicating COVID-19 issues.

Mr Isaac Barima Baawuah, Head of the Manpower Department of Tema Metro NADMO and Team Leader for the Campaign said "People know what is going on now, we realize that people are putting on the masks and the percentage is encouraging."

He reiterated that "COVID-19 was real, so we must adhere to the protocols, we should be mindful to put on the nose mask and adhere to all the proactive measures."

The sensitization campaign started last two weeks; the Tema NADMO teams go out every Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays to interact with members of the Tema Metropolis to ensure that people understand the need to protect themselves against the Coronavirus.