The Dambai market in the Krachi East Municipality and Grubi, Chinderi and Borae markets in the Krachi Nchumuru District of the Oti Region have been closed down to avoid the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The closure of the markets was announced by Dasebre Atamafowiese Kwame II, Omanhene of Chonke Traditional Area and was necessitated by the recent nine recorded cases of the COVID-19 in the Volta Region.

Dasebre Atamafowiese told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview that the decision to close down the markets was adopted after an emergency meeting between the Traditional leaders and the District Chief Executives of Krachi Nchumuru and Krachi East.

He said traders from other COVID-19 hit areas, which were not under lockdown were likely to come to the markets if they were not close down, which could lead to the spread of the disease.

The Omanhene urged other Paramount chiefs to collaborate with the various District and Municipal Assemblies in the Oti Region to adopt measures that would help fight against the pandemic.

Mr Patrick Jilima Chartey, Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Krachi East said the traders in the markets were not observing the social distancing protocol, thus the need to shut them down to limit the spread of the virus.

He said the Assembly was putting other safety measures in place to ensure that the Municipality did not record any case of the novel coronavirus.

The MCE urged the people to adhere to the World Health Organization's safety protocols of washing hands regularly under running water, cover their nose and mouth when sneezing and coughing and avoid social gathering.