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Mr Derick Owusu Ambrose, the Assin South District Chief Executive (DCE), has given a 24-hour ultimatum to eight hotels in the area to adhere to the COVID-19 control measures or risk closure.

The facilities were operating in contravention of public safety precautionary measures by the Ghana Health Service and the Government to contain the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

They have not placed water and soaps at vantage points for handwashing and hand sanitizers were also not available in the facilities.

Mr Ambrose has vowed to close down all hotels, eateries, pubs, guest houses and places that did not adhere to the GHS public health compliance on containing the spread of the novel COVID-19.

The ultimatum was given after a tour of some facilities in the area to assess their compliance with the public safety directive as issued by the GHS and the World Health Organisation (WHO) in the wake of the pandemic.

Of the 10 hotels visited, eight had failed to implement the public safety measures and had no clear intention of upgrading their standards to ensure the safety of customers.

In addition, the Assembly had intensified public sensitisation in communities with three mobile vans and seasoned health experts to extensively cover all persons.

The communities include Asantoase, Seidukrom, Mesomagor, Jakai, Dominase, Adeambra, Manso, and Onwaand Awuro Camp.

Mr Ambrose announced that the Assembly had taken delivery of quantities of hospital beds, hand gloves, sanitizers, face masks and Veronica buckets to manage the disease.

He advised all persons who exhibited symptoms of the dreaded COVID-19 to, as a matter of urgency, report to the designated holding centres in Assin Manso and Nyankomasi Ahenkro health centres.

Alternatively, due to travel difficulties and telephone connectivity, people could also reach to the nearest health facility or call the national centre for immediate assistance.

According to the DCE, who is also a Pharmacist, the virus was transmitted through direct contact with respiratory droplets of an infected person through coughing and sneezing and touching surfaces contaminated with it.

The symptoms include fever, cough and shortness of breath, in more severe cases, the infection can cause pneumonia or breathing difficulties and more rarely, the disease can be fatal.

These symptoms are similar to the flu (influenza) or the common cold, the reason testing is required to confirm if someone has the COVID-19.

To avoid the risk of infection, the DCE advised the public to wash hands frequently with soap under running water, or alcohol-based hand rub, cover mouth and nose with a flexed elbow or tissue when coughing or sneezing, and throw away the tissue into a closed bin immediately.

He urged the public to avoid close contact with anyone who has cold or flu-like symptoms.