Ho Chi Minh City will reopen the traditional markets to ease the lack of fresh food

Ho Chi Minh City will reopen traditional markets that can comply with pandemic prevention measures

Ho Chi Minh City has closed most wet markets after detecting virus clusters. However, the temporary closure has lead to an overload at supermarkets which had to supply food and necessities for the whole city during social distancing.

Nguyen Nguyen Phuong, deputy director of Ho Chi Minh City Department of Industry and Trade (DoIT) said the reopening of wet markets not only ensures the quick supply of necessities and food for people but also complies with pandemic prevention and control regulations.

The DoIT has piloted a plan to organise the sales of fresh food at wet markets, use IT applications to schedule shopping activities, and manage the number of shoppers. Besides complying with 5K measures, the markets need to manage the flow of shoppers to avoid large gatherings. Traders are encouraged to sell products like fruits and vegetables at regular prices as well as install partitions to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

"If the market fails to ensure safety conditions, the DoIT will seek alternative premises for traders and sellers. The suspension or re-opening of each wet market will be decided by the district People's Committees based on the pandemic situation," Phuong added.

To facilitate the reopening, the municipal Steering Committee of Pandemic Prevention and Control is coordinating with the Ministry of Health to provide further instructions on COVID-19 prevention and control at these markets in line with Directive No.16/CT-TTg.

As of July 19, there were 40 traditional markets operating across the city, including the markets being reopened like Phu Tho market in District 11, An Dong market in District 5, and Kien Thanh in Binh Tan district. There are nine districts in Ho Chi Minh City where markets are suspended.