The Korele-Klottey Municipal Assembly on Thursday announced that the Cocoa Marketing Board (CMB) Market in Accra will be closed from midnight on Thursday due to non-adherence to COVI-19 protocols especially the two-metre social distancing.

"Any trader from today midnight found trading will be made to face the full rigorous of the law by paying GHC12, 000.00 or serve a term of four years imprisonment as indicated in the law".

Mr Samuel Nii Adjei Tawiah, Municipal Chief Executive of Korke-Klottey who made the announcement said, the Assembly as a team advised and cautioned the market women to exercise a new trend of market attendance by traders on a rotational basis.

He said that was to ensure that enough space existed to reduce overcrowding between traders and buyers in order to exercise the social distancing protocols.

But the MCE in his announcement stated that the assembly's visits to the market revealed that they were not adhering to the protocols and were recalcitrant towards exercising the social distancing.

He said some of them even moved onto the main roads to display their goods against the rules of engagement.

Mr Tawiah said the Assembly would now provide the market women with Identification Cards with colours of the National Flag, Red, Yellow and Green to indicate a shift system of trading in the market to ensure the COVID-19 protocols were observed.

He called on the market women to adhere to the closure directive for their personal safety.

One of the market women, Madam Naa Ayele in an interview with the Ghana News Agency said, "Only a few of us were observing the COVID-19 protocols, but pleaded with the assembly to reconsider its decision and open the market."

She said upon opening the market, the assembly could constantly visit there to arrest and prosecute the recalcitrant traders who refused to exercise the protocols of the COVID-19.

This she said would ensure that traders respected the protocols to save themselves from being infected with the virus.