HCMC considers partial reopening of wholesale market with vaccinated vendors

The municipal Department of Industry and Trade said Tuesday that only vendors that have got one or both Covid-19 vaccine doses at least four weeks prior can function in the city's biggest wholesale market that has been shut down since July 6 after becoming a Covid-19 cluster.

Vendors who have recovered from Covid-19 should particularly be encouraged to get back to work, the department said.

The department’s statement followed the city administration announcing Monday that it was considering reopening the Binh Dien Market Tuesday for the sole purpose of gathering and distributing goods brought in from other localities.

There was no mention of a possible date when the market can resume full operations with vendors selling goods directly to residents.

The department said that in the event of the partial reopening, all vendors had to be tested regularly and the entire market must be disinfected every day. All trucks going in and out of the market must also be disinfected, it said.

The Binh Dien Market Management and Trading Company, a branch of the Saigon Trading Corporation, must arrange for vendors and transporters to maintain the required distance from one another, the department said.

Vendors must also register the volume of goods along with the number of trucks and traders they will receive from other localities every day. Each vendor cannot receive more than 70 traders per day.

HCMC had also announced Monday that it was extending its strict social distancing rules until September 15. During the extension, the city will let the "green zones", low-risk areas, pilot the reopening of some takeout services, it said.