Government has condemned the abnormal hike in prices of goods such as hand sanitisers on the market in the wake of recorded cases of COVID-19 in the country.

According to the Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, the act is distasteful adding that the move does not help in the country’s fight against the pandemic.

“This is not the time to be unduly profiteering with your products and service,” he said.

Speaking at a stakeholder meeting on Monday, Mr Nkrumah explained, “These are not ordinary times. These are the times when we should come together as a human specie and ensure that we do things that ensure the survival of each and every one of us.”

As education on the virus trickles down to communities, citizens have been advised to employ precautionary measure such as hand washing, covering of mouth when coughing and use of hand sanitisers.

In this light, many shops have also increased prices astronomically with many patrons taking to social media to lament.

Unacceptable. The pharmacies and other shops doing this are incredibly shameless, to put it mildly.

If your neighbor can't afford it, the chance of infection is higher pic.twitter.com/h2qcb6rznQ

— nana (@thenanaaba) March 15, 2020

Ghanaian’s should stop being selfish and think about how this virus can spread so fast and not sell the sanitizers that high cost for the poor to be able to purchase too before one crazy dude will go look for the virus and come spread it since he/she can’t buy.

— Fortune (@nakwasikobi) March 16, 2020

The Information Minister, however, appealed to vendors to do the right thing to enable the average Ghanaian patronize the products as the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana works round the clock to supply essential medicines that are needed for the treatment of COVID-19.

Meanwhile, there is a mad rush for hand sanitisers in the central business district of Accra as some parts of the capital report of shortages.