The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) has closed down the Kumasi Central Market with the explanation that the traders at the market have not been observing the World Health Organisation's social distancing protocol, which is recommended as one of the key ways of preventing the spread of COVID-19.

According to the KMA, it received reports of the "blatant disregard" by the traders to the social distancing protocol on Monday, 6 April 2020.

“The scary nature of the report warranted an emergency METSEC meeting with the 11-member committee of the Kumasi Central Market as well as other leaders of the 67 trade associations of the market” a statement issued by the Chairman OF METSEC Osei Assibey Antwi said.

It added that “after a lengthy deliberation of the effects of the actions of some recalcitrant traders, it was unanimously agreed that the central market be closed down in the interim to enable traders to reorganise themselves into groups to trade in-turns to reduce congestion in order to comply with the social distancing measure aimed at preventing the spread of the virus”.

The statement continued; “by this release, we wish to inform the general public that the Kumasi central market shall be closed on Tuesday 7 April 2020 to enable the leadership to reorganise themselves into groups as agreed”.

The statement also noted that: “trading along the margins of the road at the central market and the central business district remains prohibited.”

It said the leadership of the traders are to meet and set the modalities for the rotation of the various groups and update the KMA security council on it.