Chairman of the Northern Regional Security Council, Mr Salifu Saeed has banned commercial sex trade and its related activities in the Tamale metropolitan area and its adjoining communities as the global coronavirus pandemic continue to spread across the world.
The minister said prostitution is not welcomed in any part of the region, warning any person found defying this directive will be arrested and dealt with decisively. He further cautioned the youth of Tamale to stop patronizing these prostitutes in the wake of the outbreak, arguing it could be a major contributory factor to spread the COVID-19 virus in the region.
Addressing a presser in Tamale Wednesday, 1 April, 2020, Mr. Saeed noted that even though it is difficult for some people to abstain from this act, he indicated the security are empowered to arrest anyone found to flout this order.
According to the Minister, some of the people hide under the cover of darkness in the metropolis and perpetuate this unlawful act.
He alleged, “if you look at the confirmed victims of this coronavirus, some of them are prostitutes, they have been fished out from those locations and I am using this as the basis to ban prostitution in northern region.”
The northern region has recorded 10 confirmed cases of the COVID-19 disease involving nationals of neighboring Burkina Faso and the Republic of Guinea. Government is taking measures to repatriate them to their countries for treatment.
However, Mr. Salifu Saeed urged teenagers in the metropolis to observe this as part of the social distancing and preventive protocols laid out by government. He stated that at this crucial moment, people should fear the Almighty Allah and adhere to these directives in the fight against the disease.
National Disinfection Exercise
Meanwhile, the Minister announced a total of one hundred and nine (109) markets in the northern region will be disinfected tomorrow Thursday, 2 April, 2020 by the Zoomlion Ghana Company Limited. He appealed to traders to vacate the markets for the exercise.
For his part, Special Assistant to the Executive Chairman of Zoomlion Ghana, Nana Yaw Barima Twum Sarkodie said Zoomlion is collaborating with the ministry of Local Government and Rural Development to spray all the markets with chlorine solution.
He said the exercise will happen simultaneously across the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies in the region. He disclosed the chlorine used is a World Health Organization approved chemical to fight the coronavirus, adding this kills bacteria and influenza virus.
However, he assured this is a human friendly chemical with a PHD of 6.5 and cannot cause harm to human beings.
