Osei Assibey-Antwi, Kumasi Mayor
THE KUMASI Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) is planning on introducing rotational system in all markets in the city soon.
This policy, when introduced, would help decongest the busy markets as market women would only be allowed to trade in the market in batches.
The move, forms part of the assembly’s numerous efforts and programmes to help curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in the garden city.
The KMA, it would be recalled, introduced the rotational system last year in the wake of the pandemic and it helped to some extent to bring the number of cases down.
Kumasi Mayor, Osei Assibey-Antwi, said yesterday that the assembly was now worried about the second-wave of the virus in the metropolis.
He did not readily give figures about the rate of new infections in the city, only saying that “the numbers are not encouraging at all.”
Mr. Assibey-Antwi said the assembly had observed that a huge number of people visiting the markets were doing so without adherence to COVID-19 protocols lately.
The Kumasi Mayor said if the assembly failed to take prompt action, the infection rate would rise to disturbing levels, adding, “We are certainly worried about the number of people that visit the markets without wearing face mask and not also adhering to other protocols.
“The assembly doesn’t want the infection rate to get out of hands before taking action, by which time it may be too late to save human lives. In this regard, we are thinking about several interventions to curb the rise of infections, and the rotational system in the markets is of one of them.”
According to him, it was important that the assembly implemented strict and strong measures to halt the virus from spreading in the city.
Mr. Assibey-Antwi also admonished residents of Kumasi to contribute their quota to defeat the virus, saying “just adhere to health protocols and we can bring it under control.”
FROM I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi