After closing down about 30 traditional restaurants popularly called ‘chop bars,’ operating under unhygienic conditions in Accra, the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has warned more of them will be shut down in the coming days.
The 30 chop bars were closed down at Agbobloshie, one of the biggest slums in the country on Wednesday after the AMA carried out an inspection in the area.
[contextly_sidebar id=”4IlmtX8ZJLqsVcC2gw5Qh7ehmuKQBwoK”]The exercise which was carried out by a combined team of police personnel and the Assembly’s task force was also geared towards stemming the spread of the cholera outbreak which has claimed over 100 lives so far.
Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show,the Director of Health at the AMA, Dr. Simpson Anim Boateng explained that some of the chop bars the Assembly visited were situated near “very dirty gutters with fecal matter running through them.”
Some of the vendors were also spotted using rotten ingredients like tomatoes, onions, and pepper to cook the meals for their customers.
Dr. Simpson revealed that the Authority will therefore take drastic measures to ensure that all the chop bars operating under unhygienic conditions are closed down permanently.
“We will go out and we will not limit our activities to only Agbobloshie alone, it will cover the whole city.”
He said the AMA will collaborate with the Food and Drugs Authority(FDA) to ensure that the directive is followed to the letter.
The assembly had been accused of supervising indiscriminate waste disposal in the capital which resulted in the outbreak of the disease.
But the Director of Public Health at the AMA, Dr. Simpson Boateng said with an epidemic of such proportions, there is no need for people to apportion blame as the assembly is doing its best to keep the city clean.
He said: “We are heading towards an epidemic and that is why there is the need for us to rather focus on preventing the spread.”
Dr. Boateng urged Ghanaians, especially residents in the Greater Accra Region to contribute to the maintenance of a clean environment as well as practice of personal hygiene.
By: Marian Efe Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana