DAVAO CITY, Philippines – The City Government of Davao has set the re-opening of the Roxas Night Market this September 12 with “new normal” operations and guidelines for stall owners and customers.
Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio said in her interview at Davao City Disaster Radio that they are finalizing matters before the night market re-opens next Saturday.
“We submitted the proposal to our consultant in the Infectious Diseases Specialist (IDS) society. Also, we need to know how to go about with the health protocols inside the night market,” the mayor said.
The night market, which is a main attraction for Davaeoños for its street food, ukay-ukay and accessories, was closed down by the city government on March 12 at the start of the coronavirus pandemic. It houses around 500 tenants and a hundred massage therapists.
For its reopening, the city government has started with cleaning and installation of lights to adapt to the “new normal” operation.
The mayor said that in the “new normal” setup for the night market, they will allow 25 percent of the number of vendors, stall owners and massage therapists and even security personnel in the area and will follow a two-week shifting schedule.
Another condition is for all tenants, stall owners and therapists to undergo swab testing to confirm they are not infected.
“They should be tested before they will be allowed to start operating,” she said.
The night market was initially scheduled to re-open on September 1 but was postponed as to avoid traffic on weeknights.
The mayor made this announcement on Wednesday, September 2, which was the fourth anniversary of the Roxas Night Market bombing that killed 14 persons and injured 70 people.
Mayor Duterte-Carpio said there was no public gathering for the anniversary this year because of restrictions due to the pandemic, and said there was only a private activity which she did not elaborate further. (davaotoday.com)
