TENANTS and suppliers of the Roxas Night Market must be negative for the Sars-CoV-2, the virus causing the Covid-19, before they will be allowed to operate once the night market reopens, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio said.
Duterte-Carpio said on Tuesday, September 1, that the City Government will schedule a baseline swabbing to all who will be involved in the night market's operation -- this includes vendors, stall owners, suppliers, masseurs, and even the security personnel who will be monitoring the area.
"I-test sila tanan ayha sila pasugdon (They should all be tested before they will be allowed to start operating)," the mayor said in a radio interview via 87.5 FM Davao City Disaster Radio.
She said the city's medical consultant, who is an Infectious Diseases Specialist (IDS), said a baseline swabbing is only recommended to those people who are scheduled to operate in the night market.
The night market, which is targeted to resume operation in September, will only allow 25 percent of the total number of vendors and other workers to operate. They will be operating under a two-week shifting schedule.
The mayor clarified that those vendors assigned on a later shift will only be tested days before their schedule. She explained that there is a possibility that they might get exposed from the virus during their waiting time.
"Kung i-test nato silang tanan karon, naay possibility nga ma-infect sila. Masayang atong resources (If we will all test them now, there is a huge possibility that they will be infected. We will be wasting our resources if we will do that)," Duterte-Carpio said.
As explained by the city's medical consultants, she said a negative Covid-19 test result can only be considered valid within 48 hours since the test was made.
Initially, the mayor initially said the night market will resume operations by September 1, but was postponed.
The City Government in late August has already been preparing for the reopening of the night market after it was closed for the last six months due to the pandemic.
Duterte-Carpio ordered the closure of the Night Market along Roxas Avenue on March 12, 2020, together with other public parks, days after the national government declared a state of public health emergency due to the threat of Covid-19.
But the mayor in early August announced its reopening since the city is now under modified general community quarantine (MGCQ).
With the night market adapting to the "new normal," she said strict health measures must be observed.
If the city's Covid-19 situation will not worsen days after its initial operation, Duterte-Carpio said the public can expect that the market's operating capacity will be increased.
Meanwhile, the City Government will conduct a simple ceremony of the fourth year anniversary of the Night Market bombing on Wednesday, September 2.
Duterte-Carpio said a short program for the family and victims of the bombing incident will be held.
The Roxas Night Market bombing killed 15 persons and injured 69 others.