The Management of the National Service Scheme (NSS) has directed all national service personnel to take their mandatory paid annual-leave with effect from Thursday, March 25, 2020 till the end of April 2020.
The decision is in line with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo‘s precautionary directive on measures to contain the spread of the novel Coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
All newly-posted nurses who were due to start their national service in April 2020, were also directed to take the month of April 2020 as their terminal leave.
These were contained in a statement signed by the Executive Director of the NSS, Mr Mustapha Ussif, and copied to the Ghana News Agency, in Accra.
The statement, the special arrangement replaced the annual terminal leave granted to all service personnel under the NSS ACT 426.
The leave was granted in the last month of their service period.
However, with this development, personnel would be at post in the last month of their national service.
The step was also in furtherance of the Scheme’s earlier statement issued, which required the suspension of public gathering of its staff and national service personnel till further notice.
The decision was also in compliance with the Public Service Commission’s circular, recommending that all interns, national service personnel, NABCO officers and other nonessential staff could take their leave.
“Management of the Scheme is committed to the safety and welfare of all national service personnel nationwide and, therefore, directs all user agencies and national service personnel to comply accordingly, to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19,” the statement said.