Some Ho residents now carry mini bottles of akpeteshie about and use the content as hand sanitiser.
This follows the sudden rise in the price of hand sanitisers from GH₵3 to GH₵20 in the municipality in the wake of the coronavirus scare.
According to some residents, it is much cheaper to use akpeteshie with a few drops of water than to afford the sanitisers from shops and on the streets.
It has become clear that the large number of people trooping to akpeteshie spots in recent time is not going to drink and socialise with the local hard liquor but rather to procure it for use as sanitiser.
This has also led to a brisk door- to-door akpeteshie delivery business in Ho, with the suppliers of the liquor moving from house to house to offer their product at affordable prices.
Meanwhile, some transport operators have taken advantage of the situation to sell sanitisers to passengers on board their vehicles to make extra money.
At the hiring car station, for instance, travellers were yesterday buying the sanitisers willingly from the sellers before embarking on their journeys to Aflao, Akatsi, Sogakope and other places.
As at yesterday, some people were seen on the streets wearing masks to protect themselves from the virus.
As part of measures to prevent the spread of the virus, schools were shut down in the municipality.
But for the market day activities, Ho looked desolate as most people stayed indoors.
When the Ghanaian Times visited the OLA SHS, the students were leaving the campus, expect for the 702 third-year students who were gearing up for the WASSCE.
The situation at Mawuli School was no different.
At the Ho Central Market, the coronavirus scare was the subject matter for discussion among sellers and buyers.
The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of Ho, Mr Prosper Pi-Bansah told the Ghanaian Times that it was gratifying to note that the public education efforts on measures to prevent the spread of the virus were making significant impact.
He said that regular handwashing with soap under running water was now the culture among the staff at the Ho Municipal Assembly, adding that visitors to the assembly must follow suit.
FROM ALBERTO MARIO NORETTI, HO
