A Metro Mass Transit (MMT) bus has been impounded after the state-owned transport company reportedly, failed to observe Covid-19 safety protocols, police at Obuasi in the Ashanti Region said on Tuesday.
The driver of the vehicle, Peter Tuffour, has since been detained by the police after he was arrested by the Covid-19 task force team at Kunka Junction, a popular spot at Obuasi.
The bus with registration number AS 1725-10 had 52 passengers onboard from Kumasi in the Ashanti Region to Dunkwa in the Central Region, a situation the police say is a clear breach of road traffic regulations and social distancing protocols.
Government had announced among others social distancing protocols as a measure to prevent the Coronavirus from spreading.
“Subsequently, the police ordered the passengers to disembark, join another vehicle at the Obuasi station at their own expense as they observed strict social distancing protocols,” correspondent Yaw Opoku told Dailymailgh.com.
Obuasi Municipal Police Commander, DSP Martin Assenso, said managers of the Metro Mass Transit will be invited for questioning.
He said: “We have intensified patrols in our area to enforce the social distancing protocols and this bus per the rules should have carried 33 passengers and this clearly, has exposed occupants, especially the children onboard to Covid-19.”
He faulted the passengers of not ensuring strict adherence to the directive before embarking on their journey. DSP Assenso warned that drivers who flout the order will not be spared.
Obuasi has been identified as a hotspot after cases of Coronavirus were recorded in the area. The Ashanti Region’s Covid-19 case count currently stands at 84 and 1,671 countrywide.
By Yaw Opoku, Daily Mail GH
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