Panic Buyers Storm Accra, Kumasi Markets -As Lockdown Begins Today

Droves of people on Saturday stormed various markets in Accra and Kumasi in a desperate last minute shopping ahead of the partial lockdown this morning.

Most Ghanaians trooped into town to undertake certain essential services such as buying food items and also patronize the services of the banks.

Various banking halls were packed with people while ATMs having long queues as customers waited to withdraw their money.

Major markets like Agbogbloshie, Kaneshie, and Makola CMB found alarming congestion of people who were rushing to buy foodstuffs, while long queues formed at the Salvation and Dansoman Gas Filling Stations at Mamprobi and Dansoman respectively.

This was amazing as the President categorically exempted filling stations and food sellers from the partial lockdown.

Lockdown

President Nana Akufo-Addo on Friday evening announced that movements in some urban areas in the country will be restricted from today for two weeks as part of government measures to control the spread of the Corona Virus Disease.

The lockdown affects areas in Accra, Tema, Kasoa and Kumasi, where significant numbers of infections have been recorded.

Residents in the affected areas can only go out to get essential items such as food, conduct banking transactions or use the public toilet or buy fuel.

This announcement resulted in massive human and vehicular traffic across the capital on Saturday.

In Kumasi, the case was not different as scores of people engaged in panic buying in various markets in the region.

High Prices

Traders made brisk business inflating prices of items to the detriment of the customers.

The paper observed that a cup of gari, which was initially sold at GH₵10, went for GH₵20, with a bucket of tomatoes that sold at GH₵40 going for GH₵60, while a half bucket of gari which cost GH₵20 was being sold at GH₵30.

Vegetables such as cabbage, pepper, cucumber and spring onion had also seen increases in prices.

Cabbage that sold at GH₵5 had the price doubled to GH₵10.

Some buyers at the Agbogbloshie Market said they had no option but to buy the items at the new prices.

Needless

But the Interior Minister, Ambrose Dery says the panic buying at markets, stampede at fuel service stations closure of some banks was unnecessary.

In an interview with the press in Parliament, Mr. Dery called on all Ghanaians to abide by the directive of the President or have themselves to blame.

“I have just gone around a few places today and there appears to be some misunderstanding about some of the things. The rush to buy things is totally unnecessary because the measures have made it possible that you can go to the market and buy food and that wherever food is sold would be open so the rush before the deadline is totally unnecessary and a misunderstanding.”