News
KTU hostel operators urged to observe COVID-19 safety protocols
Private Hostel Operators hosting students of Koforidua Technical University (KTU) and food vendors operating around the University have been urged to observe all safety protocols slated to prevent the spread of COVID-19 or face closure of their facilities for failure to do so.
According to the Pro Vice Chancellor of the KTU, Professor John Owusu, final year students have returned to continue their programme hence it would be necessary that hostel operators and food vendors ensured that they observed all safety protocols to avoid students who patronize their services from getting infected with the coronavirus.
“We have made them aware that if they do not adhere to the safety protocols to ensure the containment of the coronavirus and any student gets infected then their facilities would be closed down,” he added.
Professor Owusu made these statements during a training programme organised by the University’s COVID-19 Response team for private hostel operators and food vendors to train them on the safety protocols to prevent the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19).
The Pro Vice Chancellor reiterated the need to organise the programme to enable the University’s COVID-19 response team to interact with them to remind them of the safety protocols and impress upon them to adhere to them.
“We hope that this interaction would yield positive results and cause them to adhere to safety protocols like regular and proper handwashing, observe social distancing in their various rooms by reducing the number of students who sleep in the rooms and also practise all other protocols so that no student get infected.”
“We also urged the hostel operators to get thermometer guns to check temperatures of students regularly, he added.
“The hostels are a source of income to these operators and we hope they would adhere to the safety protocols to avoid closure so that they do not lose their daily source of income. Same goes to the food vendors,” he pointed out.
For food vendors, he warned that anyone found not to observe the safety protocols would be barred from selling to the students.
Professor Owusu revealed that the COVID-19 Response team would inspect the hostels and food vendors from time-to-time to ensure that they adhere to the protocols.
For his part, the Manager of Elite Hostels, Daniel Amoako, one of the hostel and beneficiary of the programme was glad stating that the training was in the right direction.
He stated the need to ensure safety first to prevent the spread of COVID-19 assuring that he would do his best to adhere to complement what government was doing.
A food vendor, was also grateful to KTU COVID-19 Team and urged them to inspect activities of the food vendors to ensure that they constantly adhere to the safety protocols slated by government.
From Ama Tekyiwaa Ampadu Agyeman, Koforidua
News
Craze for x’mas shopping: Crowded markets, low patronage
Vendors of food and other wares associated with the Christmas celebration have expressed surprise at the low patronage despite the increased number of visitors to some of the major markets across the capital.
Four days to the celebration(Christmas), the markets are filled with various products ranging from food, clothing, livestock and many other stuff, but according to the vendors, patrons are doing more ‘window’ shopping.
The Spectator on visits to some of the markets in the capital, notably the Odawna, Makola, Accra Central Business District, New Town and others made similar observations as shoppers crowd them but did little in terms of purchases.
The paper also observed that majority of vendors, originally selling other wares have switched to product related to the festive season.
What it means is that there are a lot more clothes, food and vegetables, livestock and poultry, toys, firecrackers, drinks of different types and many others on display.
The markets have also stretched to the pedestrian pavement, leaving very narrow spaces for commuters to move about freely.
That, in addition to a few of the female vendors dressed in coloured attires to reflect the occasion, has heightened the euphoria, leaving the low sales as the only headache for the vendors.
Speaking with this paper, they sounded very optimistic, believing that sales would improve in the last few days to the yuletide.
According to them, there was the opportunity to sell beyond Christmas as the New Year celebration offers similar opportunity to trade the same wares.
They urged patrons to throng the markets to shop since prices were quite moderate and products affordable for all.
News
Retirement service for Elder John Ackom-Asante,3 others
Retired Deputy Editor of The Spectator, Elder John Ackom-Asante, was last Sunday honoured by the Church of Pentecost Windy Hills District in Kasoa in the Central Region, with a retirement thanksgiving service, after serving for 26 year as an Elder of the church.
He was honoured with a citation and certificate of service along with three other elders who served in the capacity for various years.
Elder Ackom-Asante was baptised at the Darkuman Central Assembly in 1979 and ordained as an Elder in 1997.
The citation read “Your selfless service, zeal, willingness to relate wholeheartedly and your desire to effect change has gone a long way to shape the lives of many people in the church and the nation over the 26 years of your dedication to the service of the Lord.”
Elder Ackom- Asante held many positions at the Darkuman Central Assembly, Obuasi in the Ashanti Region and Tema, serving in various capacities as youth and evangelism ministry leader and marriage counsellor.
He was the founding member of the Darkuman Christian Fellowship, a member of the Greater Accra Christian Fellowship; member of Bible Society of Ghana; founding member Obuasi Chapter Full Gospel Businessmen Fellowship International and founding member of New Times Corporation Christian Fellowship and Chaplain, Methodist University Tema Campus 2009- 2010.
As a professional journalist, Elder Ackom-Asante combined effectively and efficiently his duty as a member and elder of the church and the demands of his profession, with admiration from the church, kith and kin, till his retirement on December
From Alhaji Salifu Abdul-Rahaman, Kasoa