Mad rush for hand sanitizers in Accra amid coronavirus outbreak
There is a mad rush for hand sanitisers in the Central Business District of Accra after Ghana recorded six cases of the coronavirus.
A video recording on Joy News showed over 100 persons massed up in front of a warehouse at Tudu in Accra, screaming and forcing themselves to catch the eye of the shopkeeper to purchase the product to also sell to the public.
Prices of essentials such as hand sanitisers have shot up astronomically. Some shops have run out of the product, causing the few with it to sell it at cut-throat prices.
Traders now sell the 29 ml bottled sanitisers, which previously sold at 2 cedis, for 15 cedis.
With Ghanaians exposed to Americans and Europeans raiding supermarkets to buy essential items that are being hoarded in anticipation of a lockdown, panic-driven Ghanaians are following suit, emptying shelves of major supermarkets.
The Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, was not enthused about the situation and, condemned the hike in prices of goods on the market, especially hand sanitisers.
“This is not the time to be unduly profiteering with your products and services. Like the President said, these are not ordinary times. These are the times when we have to come together as a human specie and ensure that we do things that will ensure the survival of each and every one of us.”
Meanwhile, some Ghanaians have resorted to the use of alcohol as a replacement for hand sanitisers.
There are speculations alcohol can be used as disinfectants, but this claim is yet to be verified by health authorities.
Dealers of the locally brewed gin, popularly known as akpeteshie say their businesses have witnessed a boom since Ghana recorded cases of the coronavirus.
Panic buying
Some supermarkets in the Greater Accra region have also witnessed a rise in their sales following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease in Ghana.
Long queues are emerging in some of the leading supermarkets in Accra. This is despite calls from President Akufo-Addo to avoid mass gatherings.
Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr Ernest Addison, has advised the public against panic withdrawals in the wake of the coronavirus scare.
‘The general public is strongly advised to refrain from panic withdrawals. Banks and Specialised Deposit-taking Institutions, shall remain open to offer services to customers,” the apex bank said in a statement.
The coronavirus has resulted in deaths, approximately 7,000, with over 170,000 infections globally. Several countries are making frantic efforts to tackle the spread and also address the economic consequences.