Major markets in the Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis are expected to be closed down today for disinfection due to the rise in COVID-19 numbers in the region.

This was disclosed to Accra based Citi FM by Public Relations Officer of the Sekondi-Takoradi Assembly, John Laste.

He said the assembly has been considering the idea for a while but after consultations with market leaders, a consensus was reached that the markets should be temporarily closed.

He said “our metropolis has become a hotspot with regards to the recording to COVID-19 cases and as city authorities, we are concerned ad we are taking a lot of measures to make sure that we take control of the situation,” he said.

“We have been considering this closure since the time we saw our cases going up. Even last week we met the market women and asked them to provide us with a proposal as to how they can ensure social distancing but they themselves said we [needed to] close it."

"We now want the public to buy from the community markets like Apremdo, and we are going to control the situation to avoid any mad rush purchasing that could cause social distancing problems,” he added.

The affected markets include Takoradi Market Circle market, Kojokrom Market, Sekondi Market, Effiakuma Number 9 Market and Jubilee Park Central market.

The markets are expected to be re-opened on June 3, 2020, after the disinfection exercise.