The Kwahu Traditional Council in partnership with Dotcom Events has commenced the deployment of technology to secure Kwahu Area against Covid-19 and facilitate the celebration of Easter this year.
The DotCom Events with blessings from the traditional council has therefore launched a short code for Kwahus and all tourists wishing to return home this Eastern to subscribe to enhance contact tracing should the need arrives.
Additionally, arrangements are underway to set up Covid-19 testing centers to ensure that anyone who enters Kwahu this Easter season is subjected to compulsory testing.
“This short code itself is an opportunity given to Dotcom by the Kwahumanhene himself to help collect data so when you type *447*2109# it opens up for you then you register Ghc1 that will get you to put in your basic details. These details will be captured into data then we pass it on to the covid management team that they will use to help Kwahuman during Easter. The covid management team is in partnership with the CLOTH Project. They have brought a lot of nose masks that will be distributed to the people of Kwahu in the first week of April” Prince Gyimah Boateng -General Manager of Dotcom events said.
A representative of Kwahu Concerns Citizen Association, Frederick Kwasi Frimpong bemoaned that the local economy is at the brink of collapsing due to the cancellation of the previous Easter Festivity due to the Covid-19 pandemic therefore should this year’s celebration also be banned the economic implications and complications will be grievous.
“Covid-19 has surprised all of us but Kwahus as a people are devising ways to curb the spread here to enable as do our businesses in peace. If you look at Kwahu we have the biggest hotel in the whole of Africa so if the entire area is shut down it is a big blow to the economy.
Economically, Kwahu is being affected by the Coronavirus pandemic. That is why we are strategizing to ensure that Easter is not canceled again for the third time because the economic implications are dire. Many businesses are suffering and people are suffering” He told Starr News.
Nana Ntim Sampong – Kwahu Ankaasehene and Bamuhene of Kwahu Traditional Area who represented the traditional council at the event corroborated the negative effect cancellation of previous Easter Festival has had on the local economy stating that “Nananom are therefore happy that Dotcom event is also helping to put in measures to help curb the spread of the virus to Kwahu. Even if the President bans this Year’s Easter and we think that enough has been done, many have been tested among others we can still meet as a family as Kwahuman to celebrate the festival with strict adherence to the Covid-19 protocols”.
Kwahu is the biggest tourist destination in Ghana which receives hundreds of thousands of tourists from Ghana and across the world annually during Easter Festivity
The Ghana Tourism Authority estimated that over Ghc21 million was lost as a result of the cancellation of the 2020 Easter Festival in Kwahu.
Head of Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) Prof Kwabena Annan says it is still not safe to celebrate this year’s Kwahu Easter festivity following the rise of Coronavirus cases in the country.
Speaking Tuesday, February 16, 2021, on Agoo FM Morning Show, Prof Kwabena Annan said, “we all know the importance of tourism but I am not sure the Kwahu Easter is important than preventing the spread of Covid-19. People from different areas will troop to the area, if care is not taken, we will start another wave again. Uncontrolled movements and interactions are the major cause of the spread so I will advise that; we should suspend the Kwahu Easter Festival and get serious over the fight against Covid-19,”
Kwahu Ambassador, Odame Agyare however believes Kwahus can celebrate Easter so far as there is no lockdown in the area. He said indigenes of Kwahu can return to their homes to celebrate Easter privately with their families without any crowded events to help keep the economy running.
Source: Mybrytfmonline.com/Obed Ansah
