Flower merchants in Koyambedu market have decided to close shops till May 3 and not source produce till then as a precautionary measure against COVID-19.

While alternate space was being prepared in Madhavaram for flower and fruits traders at Koyambedu, flower merchants have decided not to shift citing various reasons.

S. Mookiah, president, Koyambedu Wholesale Flowers Market Merchants’ Association said there are about 470 flower shops in Koyambedu. it would be difficult for 3,000 traders and labourers to shift overnight to the alternate site. There may be hardships in bringing produce to Madhavaram late at night.

“We have already stopped sourcing flowers to the Koyambedu market since Sunday. One of the flower merchants tested positive for COVID-19 in his residential area. Instead of shifting to Madhavaram, we decided to shut shops and support the government’s directive not to function in Koyambedu,” he said. Similarly, fruits merchants plan to close shop after Thursday. Licensed traders were provided application forms to allot shops at Madhavaram.

S. Srinivasan, wholesale fruit merchant at Koyambedu, said, “We plan to finish selling stock on Thursday and then shut shops. It will be tough to shift to Madhavaram for most fruit traders.”

Meanwhile, wholesale vegetable traders who were allowed to function at Koyambedu reported less sales. Some of them dumped the unsold stock in the market. About 250-300 shops operated on Wednesday. The market received only 200 truckloads of vegetables, which was half the daily load on Wednesday. Some retailers continue to seek space in the Koyambedu mofussil bus terminus, traders added.