Kumasi Central Market closed down over disregard for social distancing directive

The Kumasi Central Market has been closed from Tuesday, April 7, 2020.

This was captured in a statement released from the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly and signed by its Mayor, Osei Assibey Antwi.

According to the statement, “traders of the Kumasi Central Market are blatantly disregarding the World Health Organizations’s social distancing protocol in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.”

The decision to close down the market was adopted after an emergency meeting with the Kumasi Metropolitan Security Council (METSEC) with committee members of the market and leaders of the trade associations in the market.

The Assembly further warned that “tradings along the margins of the centre of the road at the Central Market and the Central Business District are prohibited.”

“The leadership of the traders are to meet and set the modalities for the rotation of the various groups and update the Kumasi Metropolitan Security Council on same,” it added.

Earlier warning

The Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Hajia Alima Mahama had earlier warned of an imminent closure of markets where vendors fail to comply with social distancing directives.

According to her, the need to enforce all relevant protocols to contain the spread of COVID-19 will be paramount in all dealings with the market vendors in the wake of the pandemic.

She told Citi News over the weekend that if social distancing is not observed in these markets, they will be closed for a few days so as to prove the government’s seriousness to this directive and also prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Meanwhile, the Ga East Municipal Chief Executive, Janet Tulasi Mensah had already gone a step ahead to order for the closure of the Dome Market over the failure of traders to adhere to the lockdown arrangements.

She said the market should be closed from Saturday, April 4 to Monday, April 6, 2020 and will be reopened on Tuesday, April 7, 2020.