The University for Development Studies (UDS), Tamale, on Tuesday, March 30, 2021, launched the ‘Sabamask’, at the Early Childhood Education Centre of the University. ‘Sabamask’ is an innovative facial mask to help, especially, children to keep their masks on for longer.

Over a year since COVID-19 was first recorded in Ghana, the fight to keep infection rates low has been relentless hence the requirement for strict adherence to the guidelines for proper hygiene to protect against the deadly virus. Not only are citizens required to socially distance from one another and to regularly wash their hands with soap under running water, but individuals are also mandated to don face masks when leaving their homes.

According to the Ghana Health Service, as of 21^st March 2021, a total of 282 Ghanaian Schools recorded 1,920 COVID-19 cases hence the timeliness of ‘Sabamask’. The Sabamask comes with strips over the head and from the cheeks all the way to the occiput, making it almost impossible for a child to pull it down to the chin or pull it off completely without adult supervision.

Speaking at the launch, the inventor, Dr. Courage KosiSetsoafia Saba, a Senior Lecturer of Microbiology and the Ag. Director of International Relations and Advancement at UDS, said “this idea came about as a result of the increasing rate of COVID-19 cases especially in our schools” He observed that, most kids go to school with their face masks on only to return without them whilst others use them as chin masks instead of face masks. “This will help prevent people especially kids from breaking the COVID-19 safety protocols” he added.

Whilst demonstrating the use of the newly invented face masks, Dr Saba intimated that, unlike the conventional face masks, this type does not exert pressure on the ear as people have complained of extra weight and pressure on the ears with the ones on the market. He appealed to the Government and all key stakeholders to assist in promoting the Sabamask across Ghana and beyond. Noting that, the Department of Creative Design and Technology has been tasked to produce the Sabamask in larger quantities for distribution and sale to interested schools and the general public.

While some children were spotted playing during lunch break with their Sabamask on, some teachers of the Early Childhood Centre, noted that, the Sabamask was preferred to the conventional nose mask since it was designed to fit the child perfectly and gives no room for them to pull it off or down their chin as they normally did, thereby allowing them to focus more on teaching and learning while adhering to the COVID19 safety protocols.

Dr. Bernard Edem Dzramado, Head of the Department of Creative Design and Technology of the Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Consumer Sciences, Madam Mary Obeng, Coordinator from the Faculty of Education and a team from the University Relations, were present at the launch.