Coronavirus lockdown: Traders express mixed reactions

Some traders in parts of Accra have reacted differently towards the possibility of a second lockdown as COVID-19 cases continue to rise in the country.

Scores of shops, the Ghana News Agency (GNA) visited said they were not prepared for a second lockdown, though they were not enforcing the safety protocols.

It was observed that most shops had “No nose mask, No Entry” inscriptions welcoming clients, but they were not being enforced.

Madam Aisha Abubakar, a Cosmetic seller at Okaishie, said a second lockdown would affect her business badly because that was the only means of support for her family.

She said what was needed was strict enforcement of COVID-19 protocols and not a lockdown, which would “break” the local economy.

Madam Gladys Damtey, a Fashion Designer in Ablekuma, an Accra suburb, said she could not afford to bear the difficulties she went through with her family during the first lockdown and prayed a second one never happened.

She said the closure of churches and social gatherings during the first lockdown affected the fashion industry and made life extremely difficult for her, and also called for enforcement of the wearing of nose masks.

But Mr Kwame Adumatta, a shoe dealer at UTC China house, said a second lockdown was necessary to contain the spread of the virus and save lives.

He said traders and customers were not adhering to the safety protocols, which made it difficult to control the spread of the virus at market centres and urged the government to declare a lockdown in time.

“Some traders and customers pour insults when you tell them to wear the mask, so I think the lockdown will help in a way, because the thing is becoming serious and dangerous,” Mr Adumatta said.

Madam Ataa Lartey, a Yam Seller in Accra, said she was frightened by the increasing cases reported daily and called on the government to restrict movements to stop the spread of the virus.

“People are taking the safety protocols for granted without thinking of the life of their neighbours, so I think let’s restrict movements. We are told when we move, the virus spreads,” she said.

The Ghana Medical Association (GMA), in a recent press statement, urged the government to impose restrictions on social gatherings to contain the spread of the virus.

The country is said to be recording daily cases of about 600 and have a total 3,813 active cases as of Wednesday, January 27, 2021. It has 62,751 confirmed cases, 377 deaths and 58,561 recoveries/discharges.