Scores of food vendors flouts coronavirus protocols

Scores of food vendors at Gbetsile in the Kpone Katamanso Municipal endangers the lives of food buyers as they flout the wearing of nose mask and adherence to other COVID-19 protocols.

Madam Constantia Adepa who was patronizing the services of a food vendor complained to the Ghana News Agency at Tema that majority of vendors were beginning to exhibit signs of resistance in the usage of the nose masks especially as they served the public.

It is a public health concern that people selling food to the public refuses to use nose mask and other COVID-19 protocols, such a behaviour exposes both the vendor and those patronizing to danger, she stated.

“Food vendors and the customers engage in conversation in the process of transacting business, the likelihood of any of them without nose mask dropping saliva particles is very high.

“The transaction also involved the exchange of money which could also be another source of transmitting particles from one person to the other hence without the nose mask or face shield one is likely to contract the disease since those particles may land on the food,” Madam Adepa said.

According to her some food vendors consider it an act of disrespect and undue interference for a customer to attempt to advise them to put on the nose mask.

Madam Adepa said, “I tried once by telling a vendor to put on her nose mask before serving me, to my amazement she asked me whether I am the one to teach her how to observed the protocols, she became furious”.

Madam Yaa Ansong, advice that special attention should be paid to the food vendors since they have been allowed to operate for long hence they should be strictly monitored, so as to prevent the spread of the disease because you may not know who was a carrier of the disease when he or she doesn’t tell you.

Madam Rose Efua, a food vendor, told the GNA that it was not deliberate that they don’t put on the nose mask in their dealings, but sometimes they forgot and also they felt uncomfortable putting it on in the heat.

“It becomes very difficult sanitizing your hands and washing your hands when the customers have formed a queue, you are always in a hurry to serve them and that is why we mostly forget to adhere to these protocols,” Madam Rose said.

And she added wearing the face shield or nose mask in the heat was a difficult thing to do, but they will do well to adhere to these protocols in order not to endanger the lives of their customers.

Mr. Enoch Koomson calls on the government to apply strict measures to Food Vendors, “they are possible another source of spreading COVID-19, which we must examine seriously”.