Hawkers and street vendors within the La Nkwantanang-Madina Municipal Assembly have accused authorities of not making provisions for them in a new arrangement for traders.
They complain that due to the lockdown, they have had to stay home because of the restriction on movement, thus their only source of economic activity to generate income has been curtailed.
The La Nkwantanang-Madina Municipal Assembly shut down the market on Tuesday after the Chief Executive, Jennifer Afagbedzi, observed that traders and consumers were not adhering to the social distancing directive and other health and safety regulations instituted to prevent the contraction and spread of the COVID-19.
However, on Thursday, following a meeting between the market queens and the Assembly, a resolution was reached to reopen the market. Under the new arrangements, traders have been allotted specific spaces and others moved to nearby markets to ensure proper spacing.
Reacting to the development, hawkers and street vendors who spoke to ABC News said they were not factored into the arrangements meaning they will still have to sit home till the lockdown ends.
One of them lamented, “I wish to have audience with one of the officers at the Assembly so I plead with them. We those who carry our goods and move around, we beg, all we need is a small space in the market so that we can also ply our trade. We beg we promise to abide by all the protocols. They said some market women will be moved to Bohy3 market (a nearby market) but those who hawk have been left out. If we are not included, our livelihood will be adversely affected.”
Another said, “We need them to listen to us because we are all one people. They can’t tell some of us to go stay at home and others will be here trading. We are all desperate. Even our husbands are not able to cater for the whole family. We plead with them to assist us by giving us a place to settle and trade.”
“We are home, we have nowhere to go. We know the sickness is dangerous, for that we believe the President. We are really suffering. Some are orphans, some are single mothers, we have different backgrounds, and we have to survive,” another said while urging the government to listen to their plight.
Source: abcnewsgh.com
Watch the interaction with the hawkers within the Madina Municipality;
