The Nsawam Adoagyiri Municipality has admonished traders over price hikes in the face of the coronavirus outbreak.

The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mr. Kojo Boabeng confirmed the arrest to Nyankonton Mu Nsem on Rainbow Radio 87.5Fm.

He said the municipality went to the markets to engage the market women not take advantage of the outbreak.

He said the demand for commodities such as gari and other staple foods have increased making traders hike the prices.

But he assured the public the municipality has taken steps to prevent the undue advantage the traders are taking over consumers.

For example, an ‘olonka’ of gari was selling at GHc30 when authorities visited the market, but we spoke to them and they have decreased the price to GHc18.

Panic buying hit some markets after President Akufo-Addo announced the partial lockdown in Accra, Kumasi, Tema and Kasoa.

This resulted in hikes in prices of households items in most markets in the Capital, Accra.

For instance, a kilo (Olonka) of gari is now being sold between GHC25 and GHC30 in some markets in the Greater Accra Region.

A carton of milk was being sold in some shops at GHC75 while the price of Lipton increased from GHC5 to GHC7.

Ghana has recorded 9 new cases of COVID-19 increasing our case count to 204, all from the Greater Accra region.

Four (4) of them have no history of travel nor contact with any confirmed case. Other four (4) have no travel history but are contacts of confirmed cases in Ghana; and one travelled to Ghana from Benin within the past 14 days.

As at April 2, 2020, Ghana has recorded 204 cases COVID-19 with five (5) deaths. The number of regions reporting cases remains five (5) (Greater Accra, Ashanti, Northern, Upper West and Eastern).

The Greater Accra Region has most of the cases (183) followed by the Northern Region (10), Ashanti Region (9), Upper West Region (1) and Eastern Region (1).

Most of the cases are reported from routine / enhanced surveillance activities. Cases from travellers under mandatory quarantine remain 89.