The Tema West Municipal Assembly (TWMA) has urged residents to adhere strictly to the COVID-19 prevention protocols to ensure their safety.

Mrs Adwoa Amoako, Tema West Municipal Chief Executive, made the call in a sessional address during the Assembly's Ordinary General Meeting.

Mrs Amoako announced that the Municipality had so far recorded 808 positive COVID-19 cases, out of which two patients had died, while 800 had recovered and been discharged.

She, therefore, appealed to the public not to take the safety protocols for granted, saying residents must continue to educate each other on the best practices relating to social distancing, regular hand washing, wearing of nose masks and the usage of hand sanitizers.

She said, "It is very sad to see some people playing down the pandemic in this Municipality, especially the markets at TEXPO and Community 2. Similar things are seen in our streets, shops and almost everywhere".

The MCE said the Assembly was looking at the best ways to enforce compliance to the protocols to bring sanity in the Municipality.

She said the challenge of compliance with the protocols was also apparent in some schools, however, that such challenges were being handled by the authorities.

On the school reopening for finalists, she said her outfit was instrumental in the facilitation and distribution of veronica buckets, bowls, stands, taps, infrared thermometers, and soaps among others.

She said a total of 26,867 face masks in addition to some sanitation items were distributed to 21 public and 91 private junior high schools and three senior high schools in the Municipality.

On other sectors of the Municipality, she said between January and June 2020, the TWMA accrued a total of GHS 3,058,102.67 Internally Generated Fund (IGF), describing it as very low and asked all stakeholders to improve on it to facilitate development in the area.

To address flooding in Communities 17, 18, 19 and 20 as well as at Klagon, Devtraco and Sakumono Village, the Assembly, she said, was dredging and desilting drains and evacuating refuse regularly.

She observed that the perennial flooding of the area was due to the blocking of the drains connecting the Sakumono into the sea with heaps of refuse.

Mrs Amoako announced that "consequently, we have marked some structures to be demolished on waterways, green belt and wetlands to pave way for rain water to flow freely. The Assembly shall carefully take steps for the demolition of some structures on waterways. We shall strengthen sensitization exercise to mitigate disasters".