The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has expressed with concern the disregard for COVID-19 protocols by traders in the Accra Metropolis.

The Assembly has further lamented that attempts to ensure compliance to the COVID-19 safety protocols have proved futile.

Public Relations Officer of the Assembly, Gilbert Ankrah, speaking to Samuel Eshun on the Happy Morning Show disclosed: “We have spread our taskforce within the central business markets within the metropolis to ensure that they will make everyone comply and over the period the Assembly together with the police are embarking on some of these enforcements exercise to compel people to wear their nose masks but there is a bit of difficulty.

What is happening is that with most of the rounds that we have done, you will find people with the mask on but immediately you leave them, then they drop the mask. And this is a big concern”.

He expressed, however, that the Assembly is not giving up in its efforts. Rather, the AMA hopes to intensify the education on COVID-19 to hammer home the importance of wearing the nose masks.

“Now, the Assembly, as much as it is compelling people to wear the nose mask, will intensify the education to sensitize people of the need to put on the mask. Information and education is very important and we are aware that people know that they must wear their mask but they are not. So we are hoping to intensify the education”, he added.

Gilbert also shared that the Assembly will work closely with the police to ensure compliance.

In July last year, a joint task force comprising of officers from the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) and Zoomlion Ghana Limited begun a public awareness and sensitization program in the Central Business District (CBD) of Accra ahead of an enforcement exercise that was to ensure compliance with sanitation bye-laws and COVID-19 protocols in the city of Accra.

Seven months down the line, the Ghanaian Times has reported that traders have taken over the streets and pavements of Accra Metropolis, in clear violation of the bye-law of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) on public pathway and COVID-19 safety protocol.