By Vincent Ujumadu

Awka- THE police enforcement teams for the stay -at – home order have created food markets for all the 179 communities in Anambra State and closed down all the existing markets in the state.

The reason behind the new policy was to ensure that traders maintained reasonable distances from each other in line with the efforts being made to stop the spread of coronavirus pandemic in the state.

Most of the markets, which began operation yesterday, are located in the playground of primary schools and village squares.

The number of markets in a community depends on its population, even though many women complained yesterday that the development had created more problems for the people as some of the markets were not easy to assess.

According to the women, transportation to the new markets was not easy as they are located mainly on the outskirts of the towns.

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However, the police said it was in their own interest to move to more spacious areas to ensure that buyers and sellers did not cluster together.

Justifying the need for the food centers, the state police command said: “We whish to notify the public that effective from 8am on Tuesday 14/4/2020, 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.

“Market leaders and affected vendors have been fully notified, while Transition Committee chairmen and Presidents’ General of communities will be on ground to manage the new facilities”.

VANGUARD