Tony Okafor, Awka
The Anambra State Police Command has ordered the closure of food markets in the state as a measure to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the area.
The state recorded an index case of the pandemic last Friday, necessitating Governor Willie Obiano to announce a lockdown of the state on Saturday.
Consequently, the police on Tuesday ordered the closure of food markets in the state in order to enhance social distance and hygiene during the lockdown period.
It designated centres where food items could be bought in communities in all the Local Government Areas of the state.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Haruna Mohammed, in a statement in Awka, the state capital on Tuesday, said the food centres would become operational immediately.
The statement read in part, “The command wishes to notify the public that effective from 8am on Tuesday (yesterday) all existing food markets are to be shut down completely till further notice.
“Sellers of food items and other essential consumables are required to move their commodities to the freshly designated locations.
“The essence of the new locations is to restrict commercial activities to food items and other approved essentials and to ensure that buying and selling hold within a well-spaced environment that permits observance of the social distancing protocol.
“The markets in every community will operate between 8am and 3pm daily.”
(Punch)
