Staff of the Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Company Limited (BOST) at its head office at Dzorwulu, Accra, have been asked to work from home after 46 of them tested positive for the Coronavirus disease.
According to a statement by the company, it is taking this action after a mass testing exercise at its premises.
The mass testing exercise was deemed necessary after a staff of the company’s IT department tested positive for the virus.
As a result, the company is temporarily closed from Monday, July 6 to Monday, July 13, 2020. This, according to the release by the company is to allow it to fumigate its premises.
“After the mass testing, a number of the staff tested positive and arrangements are being made for their treatment. In the estimation of management, the Ghana Health Service should be able to reach out to these members of staff and isolate them for treatment within the week,” the company said.
BOST has promised that the case counts will not “negatively impact the operations of the company since all staff have the needed facilities and enhancements to work from home within the period.”
Malik Agyei, Head of Corporate Affairs at BOST further stated that, “We are closing down the head office, fumigate same and ensure that those who are not yet infected would resume work and work safely to help push the agenda of the company without subjecting them to any risk of infection.”
“Everyone is equipped with the needed hardware to work from home, so as we speak everything is going on as if nothing is happening.”
He reiterated that “This is not going to affect our operations as a company as far as we are concerned.” This according to him is because the company’s various online portals and platforms” are “active” for their customers. He added that, their “customer care line” can also be reached without difficulty.
“We are waiting for Ghana health Service and their contact tracing people to brief them and isolate them for treatment.”
“Management would further like to assure the general public that this arrangement will not negatively impact the operations of the company since all staff have the needed facilities and enhancements to work from home within the period,” the company added.
According to the company, those who have tested positive are expected to begin self-isolation immediately.
Ghana’s coronavirus cases have been rising steadily. This has become a growing concern to a large part of the population.
Franklin Cudjoe, the head of an influential think tank, IMANI Africa has called for Senior High Schools to be “closed.”
Early this morning, Monday July 6, 2020, video footage from the Accra Girls High School made it apparent that the students were not adhering to the Covid-19 protocols. Parents of the students had gone to the campus of the school to take their wards home because six students had tested positive for Covid-19.
The Minority in Parliament has also called for schools to be closed down as the sick students cannot write the exams.
At the moment, the country’s case count stand at 20,085 with 14,870 recoveries. 122 people have died from the virus in Ghana.
