The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development together with Zoomlion Ghana has donated items to all markets in the Upper East Region to aid market women and in the protection against the coronavirus.
The items include hand sanitizers, Veronica buckets, tissues, liquid soap, noise mask, hand gloves and dustbins. The items are expected to be positioned at vantage points for use by the traders and visitors of the market.
Upper East Regional Minister, Tangoba Abayage who presented the items to 4 selected Chief Executives for onward delivery to the market women said the gesture goes in line with strong measures taken by government to further curb the spread of the virus.
“We are a development world with our own challenges [and] if we allow this [Covid 19] to overrun us, we will be in big trouble. That is why the president, in consultation with his Technical Advisors have been taking strong measures which in the close down of schools, ban on public gatherings. One of such measures is seeing how we can keep our markets safe for our own market women and men as well people who patronize the markets”, she said.
She warned the market women to make good use of the items while adhering to the safety measures or risk the markets in which they trade in being closed down.
“The caution is that if any market should decide to flout these directives of keeping the environment clean and disobey the rules of personal hygiene and sanitation, then the market risk to be close down”, the regional cautioned.
Madam Tangoba who said the directive is for the safety of the citizenry commended Municipal and District Chief Executives in the region for role they are playing to ensure that residents adhere the government directives.
She entreated the MDCEs to constantly visit the markets to ensure the items donated are put into good use.
The women were taken through exclusive hand washing practice using the items donated to them. The number of participants for the handing over of the items were carefully selected and seated spaciously in line with the president directive.
The Upper East regional director of health services, Winfred Ofosu admonished the market women to take precautionary measures by frequently washing their hands and practicing social distancing.
Some of the market women in an interview with A1 News thanked government for the support given them and pledged to adhere to the safety measures.
Source:A1radioonline.com|101.1MHZ|Ghana
