The Ghana Union of Traders’ Association (GUTA) is urging the trading public to still go about their businesses while they still adhere to the precautionary measures in curbing the spread of the Coronavirus put out by the government.
This follows the announcement by the Local Government Ministry and the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) that government will disinfect some selected markets in the Greater Accra Region on Monday, March 23, 2020, in a bid to guard against the spread of the novel coronavirus in Ghana.
A statement signed by the President of the Ghana Union of Traders’ Association, Dr. Joseph Obeng, stated that “GUTA has learnt from the Authority that the exercise that comes off this coming Monday 23rd March 2020 will not cover the whole of Accra and therefore shops and businesses where the operation will not affect can open for business and for any other place where the disinfection exercise is not taking place.”
It further noted that, “In as much as GUTA fully supports government and other arms of government in combating this pandemic in order to contain the spread in our dear country, we in GUTA feel that this exercise can be done while ensuring that traders can still be able to do some business while we still adhere to the precautionary measures put out by President Nana Akufo-Addo.”
Markets to close for disinfection exercise
As part of a nationwide disinfection exercise of public spaces to control the Coronavirus, Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Hajia Alima Mahama on Friday 20th March 2020, announced that markets in the Greater Accra Region will be closed on Monday, March 23, 2020, for the exercise.
She said the decision was arrived at in consultation with the market women.
“They all agreed on Monday and I was happy. They all see that there is expediency in the matter and we have to do it quick… in the Greater Accra Region, markets will be closed on Monday,” she said to the media.
Ghana records 19 cases
Ghana has already confirmed 19 cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
The latest cases were confirmed on March 20 and are believed to be imported, according to the Ghana Health Service.
Two of the new cases were reported from the Greater Accra Region and the other in the Ashanti Region.
The latest infected persons are a 55-year-old Ghanaian woman resident of the United Kingdom who travelled to Ghana within the last two weeks; an 84-year-old Ghanaian lady also a resident of the United Kingdom who also came to Ghana within the past two weeks and a 27-year-old Chinese man who came to Ghana.
by Nerteley Nettey
