HCMC – The HCMC Department of Industry and Trade has proposed the governments of Thu Duc City and districts map out plans to resume the operations of traditional markets safely.
The municipal department will review the supply of goods for HCMC over the past few months to develop a more sustainable operation model in the new normal stage.
When wet markets reopen, all sellers and employees there must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 and meet all safety requirements.
The reopening is aimed at making life easier and more convenient for residents to buy food and goods, contributing to balancing the demand and supply of goods and boosting the production and consumption of farm produce in the domestic market.
Under the city’s economic reopening plan after September 30, the mobility of residents and transport of goods will become easier, so it is necessary to reopen traditional markets to avoid residents overwhelming the wholesale markets and supermarkets, according to the department.
Before allowing wet markets to reopen, the municipal department and other relevant units will check whether wet markets meet all the safety requirements.
In addition, supermarkets and groceries that have suspended operations due to Covid-19 will gradually reopen if they ensure safety.
The department will also work with business associations, industry associations, local authorities and the management boards of export processing and industry zones to offer guidelines over the resumption of production activities.
According to data from the HCMC Department of Industry and Trade, on September 26, the city saw a mere 45,180 orders of food and foodstuff placed via the city’s assisted shopping scheme, down 4.7% day-on-day.
This was the lowest number since the assisted shopping model was applied on August 23, while during the peak period, over 100,000 orders were placed each day.
After the city ramped up the number of pop-up food sale sites and allowed shippers to resume work, residents have shifted to placing online orders and shopping directly at these food sale sites, while residents in the districts of 7, Cu Chi and Can Gio are allowed to go to the market once a week, resulting in a drop in the need for assisted shopping.
By Chanh Trung
