NIA staff “don’t feel safe” as registration exercise continues despite coronavirus fears

Despite a ban on public gathering to contain the spread of coronavirus, the National Identification Authority (NIA) has been persisting with its registration exercise, but some of its staff say, they feel endangered.

With six cases recorded in Ghana, a staff with the Eastern regional team told theghanareport.com,“we don’t feel safe.”

Speaking on condition of anonymity, she complained, “we are coming into contact with all these people without the necessary safety kits.”

“Where some of us were posted to, we can’t get some of the safety things to buy, and we are asked to continue to work.

Akufo-Addo shuts all schools; bans funerals, church and mosque gatherings

Schools, churches and mosque are to remain closed in the next four weeks, while weddings, funerals and other social engagements have also been frozen unless a maximum of 25 people will be in attendance.

But curiously, the NIA registration exercise has been excluded from the list of banned gatherings.

Coronavirus Ghana update: NIA continues registration as government restrict mass gathering

The Authority has said it is putting in place hygienic measures.

In a bid to prevent long queues at the registration centre, Supervising Registration Officers (SRO) are to ensure not more than 25 persons who will be given numbers are present at the centre at a given time.

According to the staff, managing crowds is difficult.

“Our centres get too overcrowded. Applicants won’t even go back for us. We have been shouting but still,” a staff said.

The management of the NIA had lost touch with reality on the ground as the centres got crowded with people, the staff member criticised.

“At this point, we don’t know where the person you are registering has been to.”

“The Paper wipes we have been using since we started, we’ve noticed the ones we have now have even expired,” the source said.

Two calls to the NIA Director of Public Affairs, the Assistant Commissioner of Immigration (ACI), Francis Palmdeti, were not responded to.