Source: www.ghanaweb.com
Correspondence from Eastern Region
Abolo sellers and other hawkers at Atimpoku in the Asuogyaman District of the Eastern Region have expressed anger at government over the potential of a second lockdown – with concerns it would have a ‘devastating’ impact on their businesses and the economy.
The government is reportedly considering a second lockdown amid a rise of COVID-19 cases in all 16 regions of the country.
The rise in cases has sparked fears over a second lockdown being introduced in all or various parts of the country, with many businesses on the road to recovery from the measures introduced earlier in the year.
Addressing the nation on Sunday, January 17, 2021, the President said: “We do not want to go back to the days of partial lockdowns, which had a negative impact on our economy and on our way of life.
“But should that become necessary, that is, should the number of active cases continue to increase at the current rate, I will have no option but to re-impose these restrictions because it is better to be safe than to be sorry,” he said in a live broadcast.
Similarly, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah who is the Information Minister-designate under President Akufo-Addo’s second term has revealed that the country is likely to go for another lockdown soon as the President and some other bodies are seriously considering locking down the country due to the increase in coronavirus cases.
But the traders believe a lockdown would be inimical to their survival.
Cynthia Opoku sells adode (fried lobsters) at the Atimpoku lorry station in the Asuogyaman District of the Eastern Region.
She has unpleasant memories of the first lockdown imposed by the government which began on the 30th of March, 2020 and lasted three weeks.
She said, “I don’t understand why government want to impose another lockdown because they introduced a first lockdown which adversely affected our businesses,” said the 32-year-old mother of two.
“We were locked up in our homes and our children were hungry and denied access to school.”
Cynthia criticized government for failing to provide relief packages in the form of food and money to alleviate their plight and praised the benevolence of the Member of Parliament for the area, Thomas Ampem Nyarko towards them as a timely intervention.