Some residents of Dagombaline, the biggest slum in Kumasi, say the lockdown and social distancing have left many of them with no viable means of getting income.
Even though they welcome the intention of government to contain the spread of the Covid-19, the slum dwellers want government to provide the poor with relief items to enable them stay home within the 14-day period.
“It’s not easy for us in this era of lockdown. Most of us earn daily income and for this reason we can’t stock up for even one week. Therefore not going to work for 14 days means we will have to struggle to survive within the period. Inasmuch as we know government has good intention of protecting us from contracting the virus, government should also assist the poor with foodstuff in this hard time,” a resident, Haruna Iddrisu, told 3news.com.
Dagombaline suburb of Kumasi is home for thousands of head potters and scavengers.
Apart from serving as residence for others, the area provides economic livelihood for several people.
In the wake of the Covid-19 and government’s decision to lock down Kumasi, most of the residents here fled to their hometowns in the northern part of the country.
A visit to the slum shows unusual quiet in the vibrant areas.
The areas look partially deserted.
Some residents were spotted sitting in groups since they have nowhere to go.
A resident, Collins Atinga, refused to join his colleagues travel back north because he cannot risk spreading the virus to his family even though he has not been tested.
“It’s dangerous traveling back home because of the lockdown. We all know government is trying to prevent the spread of the virus. Because I’ve not been tested to know whether I have the virus or not, I can’t risk going to my family up north. All we want from the government to keep us home is food to survive.”
Day Two of the lockdown in most part of Kumasi has largely been successful even though some minority are not adhering to the directives.
By Ibrahim Abubakar|3news.com|Ghana