Background
Four months after it had been christened and had migrated from its supposed state of birth, the novel coronavirus surfaced in Ghana.
Arriving in the month reserved as Ghana month, 12th March 2020, and yes, the scientist had emphatically stated that the virus “had no legs to move’ thus “it moves when humans move.”
The statement by the Ghana Health Service that the two cases were “imported cases from Norway and Turkey” gave credence to the caution of the World Health Organization to the global community to limit travel.
President of the Republic Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on 15th March 2020 initiated measures including the closure of schools at all levels, ban on all social gatherings, limiting guest at funerals to twenty (20), and a temporary lockdown of the Greater Accra, Ashanti, and parts of the Central regions when the cases surged.
Also, to reduce person-to-person transmission, the Government of Ghana adopted and promoted the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 safety protocols.
Nana Akufo-Addo urged citizens to observe all safety protocols recommended by the W H O which are; limiting physical contact (including handshake), regular handwashing with soap under running water, and rubbing of hands with alcohol-based hand sanitizers among others with an emphasis on ensuring adequate handwashing and social distancing in all public places, including markets and transport terminals.
Business Prospects.
Few months into the pandemic, signs of economic distress emerged as the giant economically stable countries including the Americas, China, and Europe began recording dips in their Gross Domestic Products. But for producers of simple safety logistics like hand sanitizers, face masks, and personal protective gears, it was raining dividends.
In Ghana, manufacturers and sellers of hand washing water containers popularly known as “Veronica bucket” made hay while the sun shun. Many were the individuals and entities who diversified their trade to harvest economic fortunes of the moment.
By the close of March 2020 demand for hand sanitizer surged around the globe, prompting retailers to ration supplies and online vendors to hike prices, CNBC reported.
According to data market research firm Kantar, U.K. hand sanitizer sales saw a year-on-year increase of 255% in meanwhile, British shoppers were buying 7% more liquid hand soaps and spent 10% more on household cleaners.
In the U.S, average in-store prices of hand sanitizer rose to 53% year-on-year between March and November 2020, The Financial Times reported, citing data from Nielsen.
The average price of bleach was up by 21%, paper towels 19%, and both laundry detergent and washing-up liquid 10%.
In Ghana, a 25ml hand sanitizer that sold at Ghc3 before the pandemic, shot up to Ghc15 with 20ml that cost Gh2 went up to Gh10. Again, a 125ml hand sanitizer which was sold at Gh8 shot up to Gh25 while the 200ml which was sold at Gh15 also went up to Gh40.
“Veronica bucket” that was sold at Gh40 moved to Gh70 while nose masks were sold at Gh3 to Gh5 depending on the location of the buyers.
The 2020 Presidential and Parliamentary elections also came along with price hikes of these logistics as demand shot up.
The collapse of Covid-19 business
Fast forward, January to April 2021, the patronage for Veronica buckets, nose masks, hand sanitizers, tissue towels, and liquid soaps has fallen drastically countrywide.
Iddrisu Ayishatu used to trade in cooking utensils but the onset of the pandemic saw her switching trades. She however habours some regrets now.
“My brother, my business was going very well until somewhere December after the elections that everything stopped moving. I use to sell over Gh700 worth of veronica bucket but as I am talking to you, I have not sold even one container since February this year she told Rainbow Radio’s reporter Prince Kwame Tamakloe.
She added, the situation has forced her to reduce the price of a container from Gh70 to Gh50 but that has not had any impact on her sales. She currently has over 352 containers of Veronica buckets in stock.
“As we are talking now, I have 352 veronica buckets inside here which is about Gh17,600 my brother what will I do now” Ayishatu quizzed.
Another victim of the shrunken business is Sakina Abubakari Tunteeya. She is a wholesaler of hand sanitizers and disposable face masks. She intimated she included wholesale of hand sanitizers and face masks to her cosmetics and footwear ventures in April 2020. Sakina confessed that the nose masks and hand sanitizers were her points of breakthrough.
“When I started with the wholesale of the sanitizers and nose masks, I make daily sales of more than ten thousand cedis (Gh10,000) because at that time the coronavirus was very serious and people were coming from even Bolga and Wa and a lot of places to come and buy from me but now the business is very poor,” she explained.
“Some people are doing politics with the sickness due to that they don’t believe that it is in Ghana so they will not protect themselves”, Tunteeya observes.
A box of 50 pieces of disposable face masks is currently sold between Ghc 8 and 10 in markets across the Greater Accra, Ashanti, Western, and Eastern regions. Perhaps, that has become the bane of vendors like Sakina who has maintained the cost at Ghc 20.
She has in stock over five hundred (500) boxes and two hundred (200) boxes of hand sanitizers.
On the streets of Tamale, vendor Mary Adongo who now makes a maximum of Ghc 5 as her daily sales hints of retracing her steps to fruits, first love as bidders of her second love have appeared to draw the curtain on the purchase of mask.
In an enquiring mode, she says, “now, if daybreak and I come here some time I sell only five Cedis the whole day, how much will I use to buy food and what will be left for me to go buy new face masks to come and sell.”
The Saba Multi Wash.
Dr. Courage Kosi Setsoafia Saba, a Senior Lecturer at the University for Development Studies (UDS) invented the handwashing machine for cooperate purposes. The “Saba Multi Wash” device which is operated with the feet became the best-preferred choice for organizations and schools as it prevents the chain of the spread of the virus.
But production of the Saba Multi Wash has halted due to demand reduction. The inventor who also is a microbiologist and researcher blame, conspiracy theorists.
Covid-19 Perception Survey.
“In October 2020, we surveyed the perception of people about Covid-19 in Tamale and its surrounding communities, what we found out was that people don’t believe this disease exist so you can even see it from the way they behave, some said it is not a disease for the poor, it is a disease for the rich so for them they will not get the disease because they are not rich.”
He mentioned that, because people don’t see others die in their communities out of the disease, they do not believe the sickness is real and therefore will not want to spend money with regards to fighting the spread of the disease.
Arrested for Breaking Protocols.
The Northern Regional Headquarters of the Ghana Police Service on 21st January 2021, arrested some twenty-six persons who defied the face masks wearing directive by President Akuffo Addo.
It would be recalled that President Akufo -Addo in his 22nd Covid-19 state of the nation address directed the Ghana Police Service to arrest all persons who flout the wearing of nose masks in the country. The directive by the president was to cut the spread of the deadly coronavirus.
Opinion.
Unfortunately, all the vendors are recording low sales of personal protective gear and logistics when India is battling the deadliest outbreak with over 300,000 daily records of infections. The low sales and patronage are evident that citizens are letting their guards down. In the last month, the President of the Republic Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has not addressed the nation on the pandemic and it is adding to how citizens pay attention to the safety protocols.
It must be reminded that Covid-19 is not over yet therefore nobody must let his guard down because Ghana’s confirmed case count as of 22nd April 2021 stands at 92,253 with 777 unfortunate deaths while the total number of recoveries and discharged stand at 89,975 however 87 new cases has taken Ghana’s Covid-19 active cases to 1,501.
The writer is a Mentee under the Mobilizing Media to Fighting COVID-19 project by Journalist for Human Rights.
By: Prince Kwame Tamakloe – Rainbow Radio\Tamale.
