The National Petroleum Authority (NPA) has assured of adequate supplies of petroleum products to last the entire duration of the lockdown and beyond.The Authority has therefore urged consumers not to crowd filling stations in desperate attempts to buy and store the products.
The plea followed consumers crowding filling stations to fill their tanks and gas cylinders in preparation for the lockdown. The lockdown announced by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to stem the tide of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) has sparked off panic-buying and setting off the alarm bells.
The President announced the lockdown on Friday and it began at 1:00 am today, Monday 30th March 2020 and is expected to last the next two weeks.Though Ghanaians have expected such measure since the confirmed Coronavirus cases in the country hit three figures but reality of the situation is scaring people who are rushing to grab whatever essentials they could lay hands on for storage.
Incidentally, the retail outlets have been inundated with crowds of people desperately jostling to have their tanks filled and defying the social distancing precaution announced by the President. In a release, the NPA noted with concern the panic buying, a result of anticipated shortages, especially in areas affected by the two weeks mandatory lockdown in both Greater Accra and Ashanti.
The Authority expressed worry about the resulting crowds of consumers at filling stations and violating the social distancing protocols that health experts have advised is an important measure of controlling the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The NPA assured the public that the country has adequate stocks of petroleum products and that all retail outlets will be fully operational during the lockdown period. “In view of this there will be NO SHORTAGES OF LPG, PETROL OR DIESEL in the country during and beyond the lockdown period.”
“The NPA has a duty to ensure consumers have access to petroleum products and will continue to work with Petroleum Service Providers to ensure security of supplies,” the release said.The Authority appealed to consumers to therefore avoid the temptation of crowding fuel stations in order to give meaning to the social distancing protocol to ensure their safety and that of the entire Ghanaian public.
