The HCM City People's Committee has instructed Thu Duc City, districts and related departments to decide how they can safely reopen traditional markets before July 23.

All three wholesale markets and hundreds of traditional markets, supermarkets and convenience stores have been temporarily closed, causing goods supply and distribution to rely on modern channels, creating the risk of disease spread since shoppers congregate there, it said.

So a rapid reorganisation of goods supply points is imperative, it said.

To achieve twin goals of containing COVID-19 and ensuring adequate supply of essential goods, it has instructed the Department of Industry and Trade to only allow a few traders selling fresh foods and other essential goods to return to traditional markets.

The department is considering issuing cards and daily tokens to limit the number of shoppers inside traditional markets to ensure that while distribution of essential goods goes ahead, traders and shoppers remain safe.

The cards will have QR codes to identify their owners on future shopping trips.

Deputy chairwoman of the People's Committee, Phan Thi Thang, also urged Thu Duc City and districts to prioritise vaccination of traders and workers at traditional markets and regularly do random COVID-19 tests there.

As of July 19 only 40 traditional markets remained open out of hundreds. But the department has set up 3,001 price-stabilisation outlets at supermarkets and convenience stores and 388 mobile sales points. — VNS