Over the last few months, the world has been gripped by the claws of the deadly global pandemic caused by the nouvelle CORONAVIRUS (COVID-l9). This has caused the global community to witness a terrifying rate of infections and deaths as far as numbers go.
As a result, H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on March 15 in his address to the nation mentioned some public gathering guidelines regarding COVID-l9, thereby forcing the closure of all educational facilities including Technical Universities and Polytechnics till further notice to prevent the spread of the virus. It is imperative as a nation to come to grips with the situation and deploy comprehensive measures to prevent the numbers from escalating.
The Ghana National Union of Technical Students (GNUTS) duly complement the President for laying down measures to curb the transmission of the virus, which includes making available PPEs (Personal Protective Equipment) readily available to Health workers. GNUTS as a matter urgency would like to encourage the government to roll out strategies to be implemented on behalf of students. Due to the industrial strike action by the Technical University Teachers Association of Ghana (TUTAG), various Technical Universities are lagging behind as far as their academic calendars and curriculum are concerned. The leadership of the union would want to know from the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Communication how soon the alternative measure(s) for learning would be implemented per the president’s statement.
We urge our members not to be hysterical over the Coronavirus (COVID19) and urge all to maintain proper hygiene and eat more fruits and vegetables to boost their immune system against the virus. Also, we advise that members adhere to these safety precautions apart from washing their hands frequently with soap under running water for at least 20 seconds or using at least 60% alcohol alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water is not available.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick and exhibiting symptoms of the virus such as cough, fever, headache, difficulty breathing, etc and stay home when sick.
- Cover your mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze and dispose of the tissue after use.
On our part, we are encouraging members to frequently visit the official channels from the Ministries of Health, Information and the Ghana Health Service for reliable information on COVID1 9, and we advise members to refrain from panic; undue alarm would cause more harm than good.
We assure our members that the strange virus in our country is not ours, it is alien to our soil. The last time we had such experience, it was defeated with the state directive and proactive measures was put in place. Likewise, efforts have been put in place by the government to ensure that the virus does not spread to the larger society.
GNUTS will continue to update its page for the Technical University/ Polytechnic community on the preventive measures about the pandemic including guidelines on what students can do to reduce the risk of contagion. We hope that we remain safe, healthy, and vigilant in our academic and personal endeavours. In the meantime, feel free to follow us on social media to keep up to date on what we are doing.
Be reminded that in times of difficulty, students must come together to defeat the struggles they face. We wish you nothing but the absolute best in the upcoming weeks!
Signed:
Deborah Asante-Aboagye
President
0233555964626
Forster Semabia
Public Relations Officer
+233 542458806
