Coronavirus: FDA to clamp down on illegal nose masks producers

The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has warned that it will descend heavily on people and organisations producing nose masks for sale without duly registering with the Authority to do so.

It said as part of the requirements, persons or groups of persons who desired to produce face masks and sell to the public must register with the FDA before they could produce to do so.

Mr Albert Ankomah, the Upper West Regional Director for the FDA, said this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Wa on Tuesday.

He said it was illegal to sell an unregistered product in Ghana; hence the FDA was educating the people on the need for them to register before producing and selling nose masks to avoid being in conflict with the law.

He, therefore, called on tailors and dressmakers to observe the FDA requirements in producing nose masks for public use in the fight against the Coronavirus (COVID-19).

The GNA had observed that following calls by health experts and the President to regularly wear nose masks, especially at public places such as the markets, several people, including tailors and dressmakers in the Upper West Region, had ventured into the production and sale of nose mask to the public.

However, Mr Ankomah said currently, no individual or group of people in the Region had registered with the FDA to produce nose mask for sale.

He said the practice was a source of worry as some of the nose masks being sold in the Region did not meet the FDA standard, which had posed a serious health risk to the users and could thwart the efforts in the fight against the COVID-19.

The FDA Boss explained that producers who wanted to register were required to pay annual registration fees of GH?250.00 while those producing for organizational use (noncommercial) were also required to pay listing fees of GH¢150.00.

Other requirements were: twelve samples of the nose mask, application letter and completed application form for Class One Medical Devices, the nose mask must be a three-layer Calico-Stiff (hard/medium)-Calico or Calico-Calico-Calico.

“Face or nose mask should cover the nose, mouth and chin area with a three-layer thickness of not less than 0.759mm,” Mr Ankomah stated.

He explained that producers who want to produce with colourful fabric must produce in the format; Caloco-Caloco-Cloth, to prevent the user from inhaling the dye used in designing the cloth.

He also urged the public to buy registered and quality nose masks which is effective in fighting the deadly COVID-19.

Mr Ankomah said buyers should look out for the FDA registration number on the labeling of the nose mask as well as the three-layer standard before buying.

He said reducing the spread of the COVID-19 was paramount and that the FDA had intensified public sensitisation on the use of the nose masks.