The streets of Takoradi Market Circle have been emptied as the Sekondi Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA) intensifies its fight against coronavirus by moving traders who sell outside the market to the Takoradi Jubilee Park.
In a well-demarcated layout, the Assembly converted the Park into a temporary market for the traders.
Various market leaders across the country have divided their members into groups where each group takes turns to sell.
Traders who defy the directives have had their markets closed, the Dome market in Accra and the Kumasi Central market have all been closed because traders refused to adhere to the social distancing directives.
The Takoradi Market Circle is the commercial and economic hub of the Western Region.
The market got its name because of the large circle in which it is situated. The stores of the market were built to form the shape.
Not all people who go to the circle go through it for their groceries. Some prefer to buy from the outside of the circle due to convenience.
As such, many people who do not have stalls in the market rather prefer to sell their goods through hawking.
These hawkers take over all the pedestrian walkways, parking spaces and built wooden sheds and warehouses, making the market circle untidy, dirty and congested.
The STMA’s new directive will not only force traders to adhere to WHO’s social distancing directives, but also relief stall owners of the burden of competing with hawkers for customers.
So far, Ghana has recorded a total of 287 cases of the coronavirus with five (5) deaths.
The regional distribution of the cases are as follows: Greater Accra Region has most cases (258) followed by the Ashanti Region (18), Northern Region (10), Upper West Region (1), Eastern Region (1) and Upper East Region (1).
Aba Asamoah / a.asamoah@theghanareport.com