LA TRINIDAD, Benguet March 26 – The municipal government recently formulated the guidelines for the temporary partial closure of the vegetable trading post and the temporary closure of private trading areas in the municipality in view of the threats of the dreaded Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19).
Under Executive Order No. 12, series of 2020 recently issued by Mayor Romeo K. Salda, all retailing operations in the vegetable trading post should cease operations while those undertaken in the private trading areas will stop operations starting March 29, 2020.
Further, farmers should observe social distancing when parking their vehicles where the same must be at least 2 meters apart and that double parking is disallowed.
He said that truckers transporting vegetables to the various local governments will be reduced into half and those that will be displaced at the private trading areas may be accommodated at the Benguet Agri Pinoy Trading Center (BAPTC).
Truckers that will be allowed to transact business on Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays are those from Divisoria, Balintawak, Pasig, Commonwealth, Novaliches, Tacloban, Iloilo and all Tawid Dagat while those who will be allowed to transact vegetable trading on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays are those from Bicol, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya, Ilocos Sur, Ilocos Norte, Zambales, Cavite, Bataan and all other provinces.
Salda asserted that the vegetable trading post will be closed on Sundays to serve as rest days and to allow the conduct of cleaning and dis-infection.
The order mandated drivers and helpers to strictly follow the no touchdown policy and that truckers and traders must stay inside their vehicles.
On the other hand, cubicle occupants should be limited to 1 handler and 2 helpers only while disposers should limit their helpers to 2, except for those with a large volume of vegetables, in which case, the disposer will be allowed a maximum of 4 helpers.
Based on the aforesaid order, vendors of paper or cellphone bags will not be allowed to have assistants, except for those selling large plastics, in which case, a vendor will be allowed 1 assistant.
Moreover, operations at the private trading areas should cease operations on March 29, 2020, except for those selling broccoli, cauliflower and carrots.
The identification cards for helpers will be the sole responsibility of their handlers and that all who will be entering the vegetable trading post must wear face masks, gloves and observe physical distancing, thus, the policy on no face mask, no gloves will not be allowed entry to the facility.
The order stated that all vehicles entering the trading post shall first be dis-infected before the same will be allowed entry and booth holder awardees and cubicles at the bagsakan area, cold chain and Ping-ay area having an odd numbered booth will be open only on Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays and those that are even numbered will be open on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
The cubicles at the right side of the trading post will operate on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays while those at the left side will operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
The municipal mayor underscored that the vegetable trading post will operate from Mondays to Saturdays and will be closed on Sundays.
By Hent
