AMA taskforce calls for military intervention to enforce nose mask wearing in market places

The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) task force deployed to enforce nose mask-wearing in marketplaces in the capital, Accra is calling for military intervention to ensure people comply with the rule.

The AMA taskforce team said some people are intimidating their members with their heavily built bodies and that they are unable to ensure the nose mask-wearing.

“For me, I think that when the military people come here, everyone will wear the mask. We are begging the regional minister to deploy just two military men here to help us. We cannot achieve our target alone; the macho men are rather bullying us when we insist they wear the nose mask”.

According to Mr Benjamin Hammond, the leader of the taskforce team ensuring nose mask-wearing in the Tudu market, the majority of people entering the market are without nose masks and others too have but kept it in their pockets.

“When I count ten (10) people coming to the market over here, only three (3) are in their nose mask the rest don’t have it. We have to force people to buy one here before they enter the market, it is a worry for some of us because when the president closes the market now, we will all go hungry and start crying for help”.

The AMA taskforce team is doing their best to ensure people wear the mask before they are allowed into the market however they are having it difficult with some of the men who deliberately refuse to wear the nose mask.

Some of the head porters popularly referred to us as ‘kayayei’ who were not in their nose masks could not afford to buy one. Some of their customers have to buy for them to carry on while those who refused to buy have to stand several hours with mountains of load on their head.

Others too have decided to use alternative routes to access the market just to skip wearing the nose mask.

Meanwhile, traders in nose masks are cashing in as people who were forced to wear the nose mask bought from them.

The Republic Press has observed that following a press release signed by the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Mr Henry Quartey directing all security councils in various Assemblies embark on routine checks at public places such as schools, lorry stations, markets and especially the trotro stations to ensure strict compliance of the covid-19 protocols, people continue to flout the directive in all public places.

Although Mr Quartey further indicated that MMDA’s ensure that anyone flouting the directive is arrested, fined or prosecuted according to the law to serve as a deterrent to others, no arrest has been made yet.

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