The Sunyani East Municipal Assembly has instituted measures to decongest the Sunyani central market to prevent the outbreak and spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in the Municipality.

Accordingly, the retailers and wholesalers of various products, goods and wares were directed to relocate at specific places within and around the central business district (CBD) of Sunyani with immediate effect from Thursday, April 16, 2020.

Second-hand clothes, bags and shoe dealers have been directed to do business at the jubilee park till further notice, while fruits and vegetable sellers would also be selling at the forecourt of the Twene Amanfo Senior High/Technical School.

Again, traders of root and tuber crops would also be selling at a space within the precincts of the Sunyani Coronation Park, but meat, spices, oil, sanitizers, disinfection substances and veronica bucket retailers would remain in the central market.

This was contained in a News release signed by Madam Justina Owusu-Banahene, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) and copied to the Ghana News Agency on Wednesday in Sunyani.

The Assembly came out with the decision after series of meetings with the leadership of the market for enough space to ensure strict observation of social distancing protocols to protect sellers, buyers and the public from contracting the disease, it explained.

The release said the market was heavily congested and therefore injurious to public health and safety because of the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic.

It urged the traders to adhere to the directives since the Assembly’s taskforce would be patrolling the designated locations to maintain law and order.