Stricter rules when KL wholesale market reopens on Friday

CORONAVIRUS | The Kuala Lumpur Wholesale Market will be reopened this Friday with stricter conditions where wholesalers, their staff and everyone who are doing business at the market need to prove that they are free of Covid-19.

Kuala Lumpur Mayor Nor Hisham Dahlan confirmed with Malaysiakini that this was the new rule imposed by the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) for anyone entering the market.

According to him, those delivering, as well as customers purchasing, vegetables need to produce a copy of a medical report proving they are not infected with the coronavirus.

"Yes," he said in a text message when asked to confirm if the local authority set the new condition yesterday.

In a statement today, DBKL said it was compulsory for license holders and workers who were involved in the activities at the wholesale market to obtain Covid-19 screening and the results verified by laboratories recognised by the Health Ministry.

The vicinity surrounding the wholesale market was placed under enhanced movement control order (MCO) after the government identified a cluster at the wholesale market where 28 people were infected and a 36-year-old Myanmar man died from Covid-19.

The lockdown largely affected migrant workers and Rohingya refugees earning a living at the market.

The affected areas under the enhanced MCO include parts of Pusat Bandar Utara, Taman Sri Murni, Taman Batu View and Taman Batu Hampar.

While the government did not put the wholesale market under enhanced MCO, it was ordered to close from April 20 for two days but later the closure was extended by another two days to April 23.

Kuala Lumpur Vegetable Wholesalers' Association president Wong Keng Fatt said he had informed its members, suppliers and clients of the new rule.

Wong said up to 90 percent of their staff are migrant workers who are currently placed under enhanced MCO, thus the wholesalers need to get replacements and have their new staff to undergo health screening.

As for wholesalers and local staff who had previously gone for Covid testing, they are undergoing 14-day quarantine.

"The first batch of 110 out of 216 vegetable wholesalers can operate by Friday. Of these 110, 80 of the wholesalers have to operate without their staff as the latter have yet to go for the health screening," he said.

Despite this, Wong is confident that the wholesalers are able to hire new staff.

The association's secretary Law Tek Kim, however, was not so optimistic as he believed some of the wholesalers need to further scale down due to the manpower constraints.

"We have to downsize our operation as we may not be able to hire staff. I may have to operate the vegetable stall with my brother," he said, adding that the five migrant workers he hired are currently confined under the enhanced MCO.

Law believed other wholesalers shared his dilemma and this could further cause a reduction of vegetable produces sold at the market.

The Star had quoted the association's vice-president Chong Tek Keong as saying previously the prices of vegetables shot up between 20 percent and 30 percent due to a drop in supply to grocery stores as the outbreak disrupted the operation of wholesales markets.

“The price of leafy vegetables has increased by more than 50 percent. Previously, mustard greens were sold at RM1 per kg but went up to RM3 per kg, ” Chong said.

Law said the wholesale market still plays a significant role in the supply chain as markets, grocery stores and department stores still receive their vegetables from wholesalers who offer a variety of vegetable choices.

"Prior to the MCO, we can accept as many vegetables arriving at the doorstep even if the vegetable came in one container as we can send the produce to the markets.

"During MCO, we told the suppliers not to send as many vegetables as before," he said.

Law urged the government to allow the suppliers and buyers more time to obtain their health report on Covid-19 infection.

He also suggested for the government to station health officers at the wholesale market to provide Covid-19 screening for those who are unable to obtain such screening outstation.

Concurring, Kuala Lumpur Fruits Wholesalers Association president Chin Nyuk Moy urged the government to allow those who are doing business at the market more time to complete the testing.

She believed most of her clients and suppliers have yet to go for Covid-19 tests as the instruction was only made known to the associations yesterday.

"There is a lot of uncertainty. Prior to this, they (DBKL) said we cannot hire migrant workers, but we were told today we can hire," she said, adding she is still observing any changes from the government on the re-opening of the wholesale market.

According to Chin, none of the fruit and seafood wholesalers and their staff were infected by Covid-19, unlike the vegetable wholesalers, and thus, they do not have to go through the 14-day quarantine.

The sale of local fruits, including bananas, have been impacted as the wholesale market is only allowed to open four days a week and local fruits, unlike imported fruits such as apples and oranges cannot be kept in freezers.

Chin said wholesalers are under pressure as they need to sell the local fruits on the same day the suppliers deliver as they have to clear their stalls for sanitisation work on the next day.

It is more manageable for wholesalers that sell imported fruits as they have rented shop lots and store the fruits in freezers, she said.

According to Chin, things are also difficult for her counterparts who sell seafood at the market, particularly when containers of fish arrived from Thailand and Indonesia during the prolonged closure of the wholesale market.

"The fish (containers) arrived but were not allowed to enter the wholesale market (for them to unload the fishes and stored inside the freezer)," added Chin.

There are more than 100 seafood stalls, 64 fruit stalls and 216 vegetables at Kuala Lumpur wholesale market, which is the biggest wholesale market in the country. - Mkini

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