President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo yesterday met with leaders of the various markets and transport operators at the Jubilee House in Accra to find ways of preventing the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) disease at the markets and in public vehicles.
The meeting, which was held behind closed doors, was to find means of protecting people who patronise the markets and the services of public vehicles from the disease.
Present at the meeting were market leaders from Makola, Tema Community One, Adabraka, Madina, Dome, Achimota, Agbobloshie, Nima, Kantamanto, Nungua, Dodowa, Ashaiman, Mandela, and Okaishie markets.
The meeting with the transport unions was also attended by representatives of Ministry of Transport, National Road Safety Authority, Ghana Road Transport Union, and the Ghana Road Transport Coordinating Council (GRTCC).
The rest are representatives of VIP-Jeoun, Royal VVIP, Uber, Bold, O.A Transport, and Gh-Express, among others.
President Akufo-Addo thanked shop owners at the various markets for co-operating with the government during the market spraying exercise last Monday as part of measures to reduce the spread of the virus.
To the transport operators, he said since the disease spread through contact with people, it would be imperative to consider how to move people around without exposing them to the disease.
Ghana recorded its first COVID-19 case on March 12. Since then, the number of cases has increased drastically to 52, with two deaths.
Measures taken by the government to contain the spread of the disease include the closure of the country’s borders to human traffic, suspension of public gatherings including church, schools, funerals and weddings, among others.
The President’s meeting with the market leaders and transport operators yesterday was to find ways of controlling the spread of the disease without closing markets or restricting internal transport.
BY YAW KYEI
