The Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has stated that food vendors within local communities are allowed to cook and sell for their customers to take away, while observing social distancing in order to control the spread of the Coronavirus.

He made the statement at a Minister’s press briefing at the Ministry of Information on March 29, 2020, as a response to queries on imposition of the restrictions to control the spread of the deadly pandemic within the country.

“It is allowed for vendors to cook and sell for patrons to take away ... What is prohibited is the provision of services for people to seat, congregate and eat … As much as possible, social distancing must be observed at such places,” he said.

According to Oppong Nkrumah, food vendors are only allowed to sell to people within their locality, but he again emphasized that the food items should be packed for them to send away to reduce congestion.

“The Waakye seller at a junction can do some small waakye for people in the community to buy, but social distancing must be observed there. Buying and selling of cooked food should be based at the local communities. You are not allowed to have people sitting down; whether it’s a restaurant or chop bar,” he added.

Oppong Nkrumah also mentioned that the task force/security deployed to ensure that the lockdown is maintained will be on the lookout for food vendors who do not obey the directive.

“The security, as they are working within the local communities are aware of this, and with discretion know how to handle it,” he stated.

He however cautioned people who do not trade in food items to keep their shops closed as directed by the government.

“Dealers in non-food items are expected to have their shops and their stores closed. Cooking of food for sale is not prohibited,” he concluded.