The Director-General of the Ghana Education Service, Professor Kwasi Opoku Amankwa, dismissed watetered down calls for senior high schools to be closed down due to increasing COVID-19 cases in the country.
Speaking at the weekly press conference on Tuesday, Prof. Opoku Amankwa argued that keeping the students in schools is the best option as it stands now.
About fifty-five (55) students and staff at the Accra Girls’ Senior High School have tested positive for COVID-19, a joint statement by the Ghana Education Service and the Ghana Health Service confirmed.
The School is among the list of schools that have recorded cases of the virus two weeks after the government reopened schools for final year students.
A section of the public have called for the closure of the schools wiles the opposition NDC also says government is playing with the lives of students.
But Prof. Opoku Amankwa, says health experts have advised against sending the over 250, 000 students’ home since that could lead to exponential increase in cases.
“Closure of schools from the health point is not the best option, it is best we keep them in schools because if we decide to let them go home then we might as well close down the whole country…from what we have been told they are asymptomatic, so they are able to go about their studies.”
He added that “we are hoping that when they get to the exam time because we have two or three weeks before they write exams, all issues will subside…but sending them home will be disastrous.”
Ghana currently has recorded 24,988 cases of Coronavirus with 21,067 recoveries.
The active cases count stands at 3,782 after recording 470 new cases according to the Ghana Health Service as Tuesday 13th July, 2020.
Meanwhile, 139 persons have died so far after contracting the deadly virus.
Greater Accra Region – 13,690
Ashanti Region – 5,259
Western Region – 2,140
Central Region – 1,110
Eastern Region – 948
Volta Region – 418
Upper East Region – 282
Northern Region – 267
Bono East Region – 205
Western North Region – 200
Oti Region – 128
Bono Region – 107
Ahafo Region – 98
Upper West Region – 70
Savannah Region – 57
North East Region – 9
Source: www.Ghgossip.com
