PRESS RELEASE BY KETA MUNICIPAL ASSEMBLY ON SUSPECTED COVID-19 CASE AT ABUTIAKOPE

PRESS RELEASE
03-04-2020

SUSPECTED COVID-19 CASE AT ABUTIAKOPE

Report from the COVID-19 Rapid Response Team of the Keta Municipal Assembly confirmed that there one suspected COVID- 19 case at Abutiakope in the Keta Municipality.
On Tuesday, April 2, 2020 at around 9:30am, five fishermen from Abutiakope went for finishing at sea and met a Korean Fishing Vessel, which happened to be at deep sea for about 30 days before the closure of Ports by His Excellency the President of the Republic of Ghana. The aforementioned vessel contained a sick person, who is a Ghanaian from Apam in the Central Region of Ghana and was suffering from Fever according to the Keta Municipal Hospital.

The Keta Municipal Health Directorate recommended that since travelling history of the patient was not properly known and with the symptom of Fever and abnormal body temperature, his blood sample be taken to the Noguchi in Accra for a test to be conducted for COVID-19. The test result is still pending. The five fishermen were also put under mandatory quarantine for 14 days and also pending the result of the suspected patient.

The Keta Municipal Assembly wishes to assure the good people of Keta and its environs to remain resolute as we wait for the test result from Noguchi, Accra.

The patient is Ghanaian coming from Apam but not a Chinese as speculated on the social media. Kindly be informed also that there is no recorded COVID-19 case in the Keta Municipality since there no evidence to prove same now.

Attempted Closure of Jubilee Radio, Keta.

The attention of the Keta Municipal Assembly was drawn to rumours on social media that the Keta Municipal Assembly led by the Municipal Chief Executive and Municipal Police Command attempted closing the station.

This malicious story as carried by the Morning Programme Host of the station in the person of Savoiur Selasi Amenyedzi was just meant to put the image of the assembly into disrepute. We want the public to disregard these rumours.

On Friday, April 3, 2020, Jubilee Radio, Keta commenced a discussion of the suspected Coronavirus case at Abutiakope without inviting any member from the Keta Municipal Assembly to properly address the issues with facts. In that regard, the Municipal Chief Executive, who is the Chairman of the Municipal Security Committee quickly called an emergency Municipal Security Committee meeting with Jubilee Radio in attendance since the security agencies picked an intelligence that their discussion was allegedly causing fear and panic in the public domain. Due to the urgency of the meeting, Municipal Chief Executive appealed to the Municipal Police Commander to quickly rush to Jubilee Radio and invite them to be part of the meeting.

To the surprise of the Keta Municipal Police Commender and the entire assembly, Saviour Selasi Amenyedzi was on Jubilee Radio asking the good people of Keta to rush to the premises of Jubilee Radio to witness the closure of the station led by the Municipal Police Commander.

According to Saviour, the Municipal Chief Executive in the company of the Keta Municipal Commander of police, came to close down the station.

Management of the Keta Municipal Assembly wishes to state without any reservations that the Municipal Chief Executive had not gone to Jubilee Radio and has not asked for a closure of the station.
There are processes to be followed in closing down a radio station and it does not lie in the powers of the Municipal Chief Executive to close down any radio station.

The COVID-19 Taskforce formed to ensure that the Presidential Directives are strictly adhered to, is currently considering actions to be taken with regards to the announcement made by Savoiur Selasi Amenyedzi which was maliously meant to cause fear and panic among the good people of Keta and ended up causing an unlawful gathering of people, which is in itself against the presidential directive restricting public gathering.

We will be updating the public accordingly.

Thank you all.

……Signed……
Hon. Amos Kwesi Ametsimey
(Presiding Member, Keta Municipal Assembly)

Contact: 0243380046

Cc: All Media Houses