To ensure the safety of his constituents, San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora on Wednesday ordered the extension of the closure of the Agora Market until July 15.
The mayor issued the order after results showed that 23 of the market vendors and workers who were earlier tested were positive for the virus. A total of 614 results were released so far of the 647 swab tests conducted on the market vendors and workers at the Palacio de Maynila on July 1 and 2.
Zamora said the extension of the market closure is also in compliance with the guidelines set by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Diseases and National Task Force Against Covid-19, placing public markets with more than three confirmed cases under a 15-day lockdown.
“I ordered the temporary closure of the market pending the results of the swab tests conducted on our market vendors and workers. Unfortunately, a number of them turned out positive so we are extending the closure as per the guidelines of IATF and NTF. The health and well-being of San Juaneños must take precedence,” Zamora said.
All those who tested positive are asymptomatic and are now in isolation and being provided with medical attention. Their close contacts have also been tested and are in quarantine.
On July 1 Zamora ordered the temporary closure of the Agora Market after a fish stall helper tested positive for Covid-19. The City Health Office immediately conducted contact tracing with the close contacts, who were also swabbed and tested. The mayor tasked the market administration to thoroughly disinfect the public market while it is out of operation.
As part of the city’s precautions and continuity plan, all 647 market vendors and workers were swabbed for RT-PCR tests.
Only those who tested negative and are not close contacts of the patients will be allowed to return to work on July 16 after securing a special health clearance from the City Health Office.
The market’s 3.74-percent positivity rate is much lower than NCR’s 6.8 percent; however, Zamora does not want to be complacent and opted to observe stricter rules.
Likewise, City Hall will implement stringent measures through its Business Permits and Licensing Office and the City Health Office with the help of the market administration and the vendors and workers themselves.
In a consultative meeting with Zamora on Tuesday, city officials and market administration, representatives of the vendors and workers organizations in Agora Market agreed to follow stricter protocols and appoint Health and Safety Protocol Officers to help the San Juan Police and City Health personnel in implementing precautionary measures to avoid further spread of the virus.
The market is continuously being sanitized.
The City Health Office has identified the market as the epicenter of the recent rise in Covid-19 cases in San Juan City.
Image credits: Nonoy Lacza