Abubakari Shani I Photo: Eben

By: Abubakari Shani, SEND GHANA Focal person, Yendi

Residents of Yendi Municipality are going about their normal day to day activities in clear defiance of the directives of the president against social distancing. Checks by the DCMC in Yendi indicate that religious activities especially in the mosques is still happening as though we were in normal times. “Yendi Municipal Assembly (YMA) and District Health Management Team (DHMT) met with religious leaders to discourage them from congregating at the mosques,’’ a highly placed source revealed. However, upon realizing the violation of the directive against religious gathering, the YMA ‘‘set up a taskforce of combined police and military personnel to enforce the ban on religious and other social gathering.’’ 

The situation was not different at the market places. Our sources reveal that the markets are still as congested as before the coronavirus pandemic, and there is no sign of decongesting the markets in the wake of COVID-19. However, some shops have placed veronica buckets with water and soap at the entrance of their shops whilst others have alcohol-based hand sanitizers for the public use.     

At health facilities, Community Health Officers (CHOs) are putting in place measures to ensure social distancing. Speaking with CHOs at Montondo, Sunson, and Kpalsanando, they tell us (DCMC) that they ‘‘are visiting communities in turns for Child Welfare Clinics’’ unlike the previous arrangement where clients come to the facility for weighing and other services. They indicate that it forms part of measures to reduce crowding at the health facilities.  

Montondo community members being taught how to wash their hands with tippy-taps |Photo: Abubakari Shani

At the boreholes, where the people go to fetch water, social distancing is not adhered to.

The DHMT is embarking on public education on radio and in communities on COVID-19 in collaboration with the Municipal Assembly. The education is mainly on the protocols which include social distancing.