Panaji market to open for 5 hours on Saturday, Sunday

PANAJI: The Panaji municipal market complex will open briefly on Saturday and Sunday for vendors to sell perishable goods. The complex had been shut by the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) on Thursday as a precautionary measure after a liquor vendor tested positive for Covid-19.
The complex was scheduled to remain shut till Monday. However, due to the limited shelf life of mangoes and other perishable items, the CCP resolved to keep the premises open from 7am to 12 noon. Only one gate of the building, however, will be unsealed.
“We understand the plight of vendors, and we are giving them this duration to sell their items,” said mayor Uday Madkaikar.
“Vendors from Chimbel must produce the Covid-19 negative certificate issued to them by the health department, along with their ID and address proof.”
Mass testing is currently underway in Chimbel, which has seen a spike in cases over the past few days. Madkaikar, hence, has appealed to vendors from the area to get themselves tested. “If tested negative, the Chimbel-based vendors will be permitted to resume business from Monday onwards,” he said.
The market was earlier sealed for six weeks during the lockdown, and only opened its gates in May for clothing businesses, masala stores and mobile phone repair shops. This month, fruit, vegetable and coconut vendors began operating from the complex.