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Over the next six months, the Ghana Red Cross Society (GRCR) would spend five million Ghana cedis to support the Government’s efforts at mitigating the socio-economic effects of the COVID-19 crisis.

Mr. Kwame Gyimah-Akwafo, the President, announced this, when the GRCS distributed foodstuffs to 5,000 households in Madina in the La Nkwantanang Madina Municipal in the Greater Accra Region.

He said GHC970,000 would go into providing food and essential items to 50,000 vulnerable households in Accra and Kumasi, the hardest hit areas.

The package includes educational materials on measures to stay safe.

The GRCS would also complement the Government’s efforts in key areas, such as social mobilisation, risk communication, contact tracing and early detection.

It had already begun intense public awareness on the disease in the two cities, Mr Gyimah-Akwafo said.

He urged the public to strictly comply with the Ghana Health Service’s protocols, such as staying at home; frequent hand washing with soap under running water; the use of hand alcohol–based sanitisers; social distancing and the proper use of disposal tissue when coughing or sneezing.

He also reminded the public that any individual could get infected by the respiratory disease, even after taking precautionary measures, therefore, it was very important to completely stop the stigmatisation of patients.

The beneficiaries of the Madina donation were identified as the vulnerable residents near the Social Welfare Department.