All non-food selling shops in three major market centers in the New Juaben South Municipality have been debarred from selling for two weeks effective yesterday April 12, 2020.
The affected market centers are -Juaben Serwaa, Central and Agartha Markets.
Mybrytfmonline.com has gathered that most of the affected shop owners over the weekend virtually emptied their shops for safekeeping at their homes.
Others said they will hawk in town since the business is their source of livelihood.
The decision taken by the Public Health Emergency Management Response Team and the New Juaben South Municipal Assembly is to depopulate the market centers in adherence to social distancing protocol to prevent the spread of COVID-19 to the Eastern Regional Capital, Koforidua.
A joint statement issued by the Public Health Emergency Response Management Team and the New Juaben South Municipal Assembly, signed by Musah Yahaya Frako, the Municipal Coordinating Director dated April 6, 2020,explained that, given this, the Public Health Emergency Respons Management Team(PHERM) and the Assembly hereby announce to all non-food sellers (ie Clothes sellers, second-hand dealers, beads and jewelry sellers, shoe sellers, phones and accessories sellers, tailors and dressmakers, hairdressers /weave-on, cosmetics sellers, etc) within Central, Juaben Serwaa, and Agartha markets to suspend their activities for the next two weeks starting from Sunday 12th to 26th April 2020.”
According to the statement, the decision is subject to review.
New Juaben South, Akuapem North, Akuapem South, Okere Municipalities in the Eastern region has already allied to prevent the spread of Coronavirus to their municipalities.
The alliance was formed on the back of an influx of people into the Municipalities following a partial lockdown of Greater Accra and Greater Kumasi by Ghana’s President Akufo Addo effective March 30, 2020.
A joint Directive issued after a meeting attended by Municipal/District Public Health Emergency Committees together with the Municipal/District Security Councils of these four (4) Assemblies stated among other things that effective Tuesday, 31st March 2020 at 6:00am, fifteen (15) Barriers/checkpoints would be mounted in strategic entry Points and areas in the four municipalities.
Also, the mandatory temperature check will be conducted by health workers attached to the security team at the checkpoint.
The directive binds on Taxi drivers to pick only three passengers -one (1) person at the Front Seat and two (2) persons at the back seat. Trotros will carry one (1) person in front and two (2) persons at the back for urvan buses and three (3) persons at the back for sprinters, in line with social distancing protocols.
Hotels and Guesthouses in the four municipalities are expected to provide details on visitors received from March 29, 2020.
Ghana has recorded 566 cases of coronavirus with 8 deaths as of April 11; 2020.Eastern Region has recorded 32 cases making its third-highest region after Greater Accra and Ashanti regions which have recorded 454 and 49 respectively.
Source: Mybrytfmonline/Obed Ansah