Seth Twum-Akwaboah ,the CEO of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), says his outfit is actively monitoring its over 2,000 members to ensure that they are abiding by the protocols outlined by the Ministry of Trade to prevent the spread of COVID-19 at the workplace.
In an interview, he disclosed that participants are progressively alarmed about workplaces becoming hotspots for the spread of the virus. Despite the foreboding threat, he assured members of the association’s compliance with guidelines to ensure safety even as they diligently attend to their work.
He said, “some are doing well, but we also appreciate the fact that there are a lot of SMEs who have challenges adhering fully to the protocols. The minimal thing is being done in most of the workplaces. Also all companies we have visited and contacted, have given assurances that they are going by these protocols, but I think the difficulty is that we can’t follow it to the very letter because we don’t have control over the workers when they leave the work premises and get home. There is a limit, but within the factory settings the protocols are being adhered to”.
Seth Twum-Akwaboah
His decision on the matter comes in the wake of workplace transmission of the COVID-19 virus.
Closure of offices due to surge in workplace infection
The Office of former president Jerry John Rawlings has been shut down over Covid-19 concerns and a statement from the Communications Directorate of Mr. Rawlings’ Office explained that, “the closure is due to the unfortunate spread of the Covid-19 virus.”
According to the statement, “the decision which is aimed at protecting staff and potential visitors will be reviewed after two weeks”.
It further stated that the former President Rawlings is urging “all Ghanaians to be mindful of their personal discipline and care as we work to combat the disease.” Mr. Rawlings has encouraged members of the general public to adhere to the safety protocols laid out by health experts to curb the spread of the virus.
The closure has also spiraled down to the Bulk Oil Storage Transportation Company BOST which earlier this month closed down its head office after 46 staff tested positive for the virus.
Similarly, the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) on July 7, 2020, announced a shut down all of its Head Offices and corporate subsidiaries and divisions in Accra for a fumigation exercise after some staff tested positive for COVID-19.
Also, the Tema office of the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo), has been closed after one of its workers tested positive for the virus.
Quite recently, workers of the Ministry of Finance have been asked to work from home temporarily following an ongoing COVID-19 testing exercise for all staff of the Ministry.
The most extreme incident of workplace infections occurred at a fish-processing factory in Tema, where one worker is believed to have infected 533 people at the facility.
