The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has called on the government to provide Ghanaians with free sanitizers or at subsidized price to make them affordable, as citizens clamor for such products in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

The trade union also asked the government to give financial support to the Pharmaceutical Industry and other essential service providers to help them boost production.

TUC made this call in a letter to the President on Monday, March 23, 2020.

“The Pharmaceutical industry and others that produce basic household supplies must be given financials and fiscals incentives to increase production. We strongly suggest that the government should provide sanitizers to all residents in Ghana free of charge or they should be subsidized to make them affordance to everyone, regardless of their income levels,” TUC pleaded in the letter.

READ ALSO:

Accra, Tema, and Kumasi Identified As Epicentres of Coronavirus Outbreak in Ghana

In the same letter to the President, it urged the government to consider a possible lockdown of the country if necessary.

“Mr. President, the risk of spread of the virus in Ghana remains high. We need more aggressive measures to protect the people from this deadly virus, including a lockdown if that is what is needed to protect the people,” TUC noted in a letter to President Nana Akufo-Addo signed by its General Secretary, Dr. Yaw Baah.

The National Council of Persons with Disabilities had earlier bemoaned the inflation of the prices of hand sanitizers.

According to them, the poor and disabled are worse affected by the situation.

“Some of our friends who are even earning their livelihood under trees and car packs, how are they going to earn a living to the extent that they will even get extra income to buy sanitizers? It seems the government will have to work with organizations of persons living with disability to reach out to our members or persons with disability across the country and also appeal to corporate Ghana.”