HCMCity (VNS/VNA) – Ho Chi Minh City’s Department of Industry and Tradesaid it has plans to ensure uninterrupted supply of essential goods to meetconsumer demand though all three of the city's largest wholesale markets havebeen closed.

BinhDien Wholesale Market in District 8 was closed on July 6 morning after recordingat least 39 cases of COVID-19 through mass testing, and will reopen when it cancomply fully with the pandemic prevention and control protocols.

Tradersthere have been told to switch to online sales and have their productsdelivered to customers’ homes until then.

Thecity will also strengthen mobile sales to ensure there is an adequate supply ofessential items like food.

Thedepartment has worked with businesses and district administrations to ensure nosmall trader hikes prices.

Whateverthe situation, authorities and key businesses would ensure supply is alwaysadequate provided people do not hoard, said Nguyen Nguyen Phuong, deputydirector of the department.

Withthe three largest wholesale markets in the city having to temporarily shut down,Thu Duc and Hoc Mon being the others, goods coming from provinces to the citywill go directly to traditional markets.

Thedepartment said the 1,962 food supply points (106 supermarkets, 220 traditionalmarkets and 1,636 convenience stores) in the city have plans for stockpiling toensure supply of food and other essential items is adequate.

Thecity also plans to strengthen the capacity of traditional markets as well asmodern distribution systems to maintain their key role in distributingessential goods.

BuiTa Hoang Vu, director of the department, said the city held a meeting with TayNinh province to set up a buffer zone for transhipment of goods between the twoplaces.

Goodscoming from Tay Ninh to the city will be gathered in a place between Cu Chi andTrang Bang it will disinfect districts where both they and the vehiclestransporting them before they are brought to traditional markets.

The30-hectare Binh Dien Wholesale Market has thousands of stalls selling mainlyseafood, pork and vegetables.

Ithas around 20,000 people working every night during normal times, butduring social distancing only 9,000-12,000 people were allowed to work there,yet the risk of spread of infection remained very high. It has thousandsof stalls, and some 5,000 cars and trucks and 2,000 three-wheelers enter itevery day.

Eightthousand tonnes of fruits and vegetables come to the city’s three wholesalemarkets every day, meeting 70 percent of demand.

Supermarkets,shopping malls and other retailers supply the remaining 30 percent./.