Most Ghanaians have trooped into town to undertake certain essential services such as buying food items from and also patronize the services of the banks as they prepare for the two-week lockdown.
The lockdown of parts of Accra from Monday was announced by the President in an address on Friday night.
This announcement has resulted in massive human and vehicular traffic across the capital on Saturday.
Various banking halls were packed with people while ATMs in Madina had long queues as customers waited to withdraw their money.
Citi News‘ Ann Shirley Ziwu who visited the Madina market reported that hundreds of shoppers have trooped in to stock up foodstuff pending the commencement of the partial lockdown.
In Kumasi, the situation is no different where Ashanti Regional Correspondent Edward Oppong Marfo reported that panic buying had hit major market centres in the Regional capital, as some residents have begun getting various items needed until the restrictions are lifted.
One shopper said she had come to shop against any challenge the lockdown will have upon her feeding, bearing in mind her safety in the wake of the pandemic.
“I just want to stock up a bit so that in case of any problem, I will be sorted. The directive is a step in the right directive even though it is so strict. So we will abide and know the next step. A lot of people are here because of fear and panic; they don’t want to starve. I am shopping so that I will quietly be in the house in case of any eventualities.”
At the bank one customer intimated that “based on what we heard last night, so my wife is at the market to shop and I am here to withdraw some money to see what future holds for us.”
President Nana Akufo-Addo has declared a partial lockdown of Accra and Kumasi effective 1 am on Monday, March 30, 2020.
The lockdown which affects Accra, Tema and Kumasi will last for two weeks.
The decision, according to the President is to help curb the spread of COVID-19 which has led to four deaths and infected some 137 people.
“…effective 1 am on Monday, 30th March, some forty-eight hours from now, I have imposed, pursuant to the powers granted the President of the Republic, under the Imposition of Restrictions Act, 2020 (Act 1012), restrictions on the movement of persons in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA, which includes Awutu Senya East), and the Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Area and contiguous districts, for a period of two (2) weeks, subject to review. It will give us the opportunity to try to halt the spread of the virus, and scale-up effectively contact tracing of persons who have come into contact with infected persons, test them for the virus, and, if necessary, quarantine and isolate them for treatment, should they prove to have the virus,” he said.