How panic buying is exposing more Ghanaians to coronavirus

It was expected, mostly because it had been rumored largely throughout the week; a possible lockdown by government in the face of the dreaded coronavirus.

Many citizens sat, glued to their television sets , awaiting another address by his Excellency the president, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Friday evening.

Soon it was announced! A lockdown for at least 2 weeks, till a significant reduction in numbers is seen.

A day after, and countless persons are in the streets, at different points; the market, the gas station, the supermarkets, all for one thing, to get enough for their homes for the period.

Social distancing; keeping at least a distance of a meter away from others to avoid further spread of the virus, has totally been ignored on a day like this as hundreds, maybe thousands dash out for foodstuff.

Face and nose masks are all over, even substitutes of handkerchiefs or pieces of cloths are also being used by some for protection.

Many others are moving around practically without any form of protection, traders especially.

What people may not know is that the huge crowds are out there, make it even more riskier for people.



In effect, this is a much easier way to spread the pandemic, more because there would be a lot of interactions at close length, there would be a lot of surface touching etc.

Meanwhile, the President has allowed for food-chain providers to still work so as to provide food for the populace. The Liquified Petroleum gas Marketers association also says it will not be affected by the partial lockdown.

The question then arises; why cant people wait to purchase these goods and services at their convenience or when they need it, to avoid an exacerbation of the already disturbing situation?

Watch some videos of how Ghanaians are rushing to purchase basic goods and services a day after the lockdown order: