Two Business Persons Fined for Price Hiking

228

By Nelson Manneh

The Director of Health Service at the Ministry of Health Dr. Mustapha Bittaye, on Tuesday May 12th 2020 informed the media that the Kanifing Magistrates Court found two business persons guilty of price hiking.

“The Kanifing Magistrates court found two business persons guilty of price hiking and were each fined fifty thousand dalasi and in default, to serve one year imprisonment,” he said.

Dr. Bittaye said the two were arrested on the 10th of April 2020 within the Kanifing Municipality. Dr. Bittaye said the National Assembly Select Committee on Health visited two quarantine centres on a fact-finding mission; that they inspected the facilities and interacted with Public Health Officers to gather first-hand realities on the ground; that twelve communities and three hundred and twelve households were sensitized and engaged on COVID-19 preventive measures, using existing community structures.

Dr. Bittaye said the Ministry of Health will embark on enforcement of the letter and spirit of the restriction orders contained in the state of emergency declarations to investigate and establish the possible sources of infection of recent cases, vigorously and systematically.

“We will continue to strengthen surveillance at all points of entry and to engage private pharmacies to report clients presenting flu-like symptoms to RRTs,” he said; that they will also continue testing low-risk contacts before discharging them after mandatory follow-ups.

If readers can recall, some business persons were arraigned at the Kanifing Magistrates Court after they were charged for similar offences and found guilty.

They were fined fifty thousand dalasi and in default, to serve one year imprisonment.