The backlash against pharmacy managers and the call to reduce the prices of hand sanitizers may have fallen on deaf ears but journalist Nana Aba Anamoah is not drawing her sword yet as she has launched another attack on pharmacies for hiking up the price of the product.
Labelling them as hypocrites, the popular newscaster stated that, “Some of our people who are upset with the directive to suspend church gatherings are the same people increasing the prices of hand sanitisers astronomically.”
“You’re EVIL! You’re insensitive,” her tweet on Tuesday read.
In the past few days, prices of hand sanitizers have skyrocketed following the announcement that Ghana has recorded 6 cases of coronavirus.
Public education has consequently been intensified in order to prevent others from being infected especially when the victims, according to officials, have been in the country for a week before testing positive.
Among other things, people have been urged to avoid shaking hands, wash their hands under running water and apply hand sanitizer. As they heed to the call, prices of the commodity has seen an increase by more than 200%.
Declared pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO), coronavirus has killed more than 7,000 people, sickened over 115,000 and spread to 75 countries and regions worldwide.
Ghana is currently faced with six confirmed cases of the widespread virus, with over 150 people having had contact with the affected persons being observed.
President Akufo-Addo on March 15, 2020, issued a directive that all outdoor events including funerals, church activities and naming ceremonies, be suspended. Schools have also been asked to close down temporarily for a period of 4 weeks.
These, according to Akufo-Addo, forms part of precautionary measures to fight the virus and prevent any more spread after the 6 confirmed cases in Ghana.
The ban has, however, been criticised by some people as they have raised concerns about why night clubs would be allowed to operate when church activities are restricted.
GUTA 'defends' hand sanitizer price increase
President of the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA), Dr. Joseph Obeng has intimated that there is nothing wrong with traders charging exorbitant fees on sanitizers and other products like wet wipes and tissues.
Justifying his claim, he said “If you know what sales is, we have this theory of demand and supply. Normally the driving factor is there. If there is a shortage of goods, automatically prices go up, it’s a natural sequence so that one is not a deliberate measure by anybody.”
Inasmuch as traders want to make money at this time, he advised them to be circumspect about the pricing of their products so the Ghanaian populace can make a purchase to protect themselves as well, if not, traders will in turn have its ripple effects.
He said: “If the thing is available, you have to think about our own welfare that if we so punish the consuming populace and they do not have these to protect themselves, the ripple effect will come back to us. So whiles you are thinking about your profits, you also have to think about your own self and other people”.
News anchor Nana Aba Anamoah