COVID-19: National Insurance Commission reviews operations to protect staff

In the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic, the National Insurance Commission (NIC), has reviewed its operations to avoid the spread of the disease among its staff.
This follows the new public gathering rules announced by government on Sunday, March 15, 2020.
A statement signed by the Commissioner of Insurance, Justice Yaw Ofori, states that the Commission has begun the implementation of strict social distancing measures among other measures to ensure that workers are not exposed to the virus.
As part of precautionary measures, the Commission urged its staff to avoid crowded places, cancel all planned conferences, seminars and workshops and minimize the use of drivers.
“Staff who take public transport to and from work should be assisted to take appropriate precautions to minimize the risk of infection. We also encourage and permit non-essential staff to take some leave as those whose work schedule makes it possible for them to work from home are also encouraged to do so to reduce the number of people in the office,” the statement noted.
“Chief Executive Officers and other senior staff are advised to minimize the use of drivers. As much as possible, they are advised to drive their vehicles to minimize the risk of infection, the statement added.
Among other things, the Commission says it also “ensures that critical and front-line staff are provided with appropriate protective resources like gloves and sanitizers and trained to adopt appropriate strategies to minimize the risk of infection.”
Cases recorded in Ghana
Currently, Ghana has recorded 16 cases of persons who have tested positive for COVID-19, and has identified 399 contacts who have been exposed to the disease. The latest five new cases are all in the Greater Accra Region, and there are reports that some of the new cases may have been recorded locally, raising fears about community infection.
Global Statistics
The 2019 novel coronavirus, officially named as COVID-19 by the WHO, has spread to more than 170 countries, prompting the World Health Organisation (WHO) to declare the disease as a pandemic.
Confirmed novel coronavirus cases have crossed 200,000, while more than 8,000 deaths have been reported across the world, as Europe becomes the new epicentre of the disease. Approximately 60% of the global COVID-19 cases are currently outside China, the original source of the disease.
by Nerteley Nettey