The Techiman Market Manager, Jibril Abubakar, has commended the government and Zoomlion Ghana Limited for the relentless efforts in bringing COVID-19 under control.
Speaking to the press during the market disinfection exercise in the Techiman Central Market on Tuesday, November 10, 2020, he said the quarterly disinfection has helped to minimize the spread of the disease, and he hoped that it will continue until the virus is no more.
“The government must continue to disinfect the markets until the Covid-19 is over. This is to ensure that no one is infected through market activities,” he stressed.
He mentioned that the authorities of the Techiman market have instituted a tracking system where the market women have been grouped into two; one team trades for a week while the other team takes over from the following week.
He explained that the system is to control overcrowding in the market as well as ensuring social and physical distancing.
Mr. Abubakar, however, noted that the major challenge is that local traders are not observing the COVID-19 preventive protocols.
He said the task force had to regularly entreat the market women to properly wear their nose masks and keep a safe distance from their customers.
The Municipal Environment Officer, Charles Kwarteng Acheampong, on his part encouraged the market women to continue to observe the preventive protocols adding that if this is done, the spread of the virus will stop and the country will be able to declare itself COVID-19 free.
He stressed that the disinfection exercise was crucial because the markets are being patronized by a lot of people from different backgrounds, therefore “there was the need to frequently disinfect the markets”.
The Assemblyman for the Dompoase Electoral Area- Tuobodom, Nicholas Sarkodie, believed that the quarterly disinfection has really helped in reducing the spread of the virus in Tuobodom and the country as a whole.
He expressed gratitude to the Techiman North District Assembly for their contribution towards the fight against the disease in Tuobodom.
He noted that the assembly has provided enough veronica buckets, hand sanitizers, and nose masks to the residents especially the market women.
He encouraged the residents to continue to observe the preventive protocols to ensure that no one suffers from the disease.
This is the third phase of the nationwide market disinfection exercise and it is being undertaken by the Zoomlion sanitation officers with support from the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development.
The markets that were disinfected include the Techiman Central market and eight other markets within the Techiman municipality, the two major markets in Tuobodom, and the Tano Boase all within the Bono East region.
