STARTING Monday, June 14, 2021, all 24 gates of the Mandaue City Public Market will be open, one year after the City limited entry to the facility due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.
Mayor Jonas Cortes announced that he will issue a new executive order (EO) on June 14, amending the previous EO on the gate closures and market schedule.
With the amendment, residents from the city’s 27 barangays can go to the market any day of the week.
Cortes said he received a request from the Market Authority headed by Edgar Seno to open all the public market’s gates.
Seno, for his part, said they wanted to boost pedestrian and vehicular traffic and to generate more income for the City as well as the vendors, who have suffered from loss of income amid the health crisis.
Seno said many vendors, especially those who have lost their regular customers, can barely afford the stall rental, which ranges from P70 to P120 per day.
The mayor said he understands and supports the purpose of the Market Authority’s request, but he said customers must still follow minimum health protocols, such as the wearing of masks and face shields, observance of social distancing and sanitation of hands at the entrances.
Cortes said the market will continue to operate from 4 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily since the City’s curfew from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. is still in effect.
He assured the public that they disinfect the whole market every day after operation hours. (KFD)