Coronavirus: Seamstresses, tailors in Western Region bemoan low patronage

Correspondence from the Western Region

Some tailors and seamstresses in the Western Region have said the deadly Coronavirus pandemic has affected their businesses massively.

To prevent and stem the spread of the Coronavirus in Ghana, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has put a ban on social gatherings thus churches, schools, funerals, weddings, among others.

This, though has helped significantly contain and avert further spread of the virus, has had adverse effects on Ghanaian businesses, SMEs, private and vocational businesses mostly.

Tailors and seamstresses whose business mostly thrives on sewing for merrymakers, occasions and sometimes students and teachers have had their fair share of this.

A visit to some shops in some parts of the Western Region by GhanaWeb's Western Regional Correspondent revealed the current conditions of these tailors and seamstresses.

Speaking to one tailor, he said "Business has been slow; we are quite fortunate to make some sales from the production of nose masks. Even with that sales have declined."

"People are no more going to church, school, weddings and funerals so there is no need to even sew because there is nowhere to wear the clothes to. We used to get orders for special occasions but that has also stopped. I even had to stop coming to the shop for some time." he continued.

It is his wish that the situation gets better and the ban is eventually lifted.

I have had to use up the very money I saved for the renovation of my shop to cater for my family. People are going through hard times, we will be forced to close down our business if the virus persists.

Another who works as an apprentice for a seamstress told GhanaWeb's correspondent that they virtually have no work to do when they get to work because there are no clients coming in.

"I sit here idle all day; we don’t have any orders to work on due to the coronavirus. People don’t buy so many nose masks also. Government must lift the ban on public gatherings because our businesses are on the verge of collapse." she stated.

Sharing her opinion, a seamstress told GhanaWeb's Western Regional Correspondent that she doesn't get money to feed her family.

"Business was moving steadily before the virus; the situation is now bad. Our clients no longer purchase our services, this has resulted in hardship. The sale of nose masks has declined, people no longer patronise it like before. We are in hard times." she said.