Customers must wear masks and have their body temperature taken to enter to Thủ Đức Wholesale Market. Photo nld.com.vn

HCM CITY – The Covid-19 virus is likely to exist in many places, especially crowded places such as supermarkets, shopping malls and traditional and wholesale markets, and so strict preventive measures at markets are vital.

HCM City has detected three cases at traditional markets.

After detecting them, the city has strengthened prevention measures at traditional and temporary markets.

Nguyễn Văn Thái, a security guard at Tân Định market in District 1, said customers and shopkeepers who enter must make a medical declaration, but added that few customers came since they prefer to transact online or stop outside the market to pick up goods and go.

Shops selling non-essential goods such as cloth and shoes are closed, according to Thái.

The market’s management prints and distributes leaflets on disease prevention and provides free hand sanitisers and masks for visitors.

The people’s committees of all districts are supporting the markets, and have removed all temporary markets.

The city has virtually hundreds of traditional markets and thousands of ones.

A mobile team has been set up at the Hóc Môn Wholesale Market in Hóc Môn District where more than 20,000 people work every night.

It informs people about preventive measures, measures the temperature of traders there and regularly sprays disinfectants in stalls and vehicles bringing goods.

The market management offers free masks and hand sanitisers to all visitors.

Lê Văn Tiển, deputy director of the Hóc Môn Wholesale Market Management and Trade Company, said his company had developed responses for the worst-case scenario, which is the discovery of infections in the market.

The management of the Thủ Đức Wholesale Market sprays disinfectants daily and set up a separate area for quick Covid-19 tests for all truck drivers coming from the north.

Nguyễn Nhu, deputy director of the Thủ Đức Wholesale Market Management and Trade Company, said: “All vehicles coming from epidemic areas such as Bắc Giang, Bắc Ninh and Hải Dương are disinfected. Traders at the market receive the goods and take care of the vehicle, while the drivers are isolated in hotels, wait for their goods to be sold, and then drive away.”

Since May 27 nearly 800 drivers have been thus isolated. – VNS