THE Kuala Lumpur wholesale market will be closed for eight days starting May 9 to May 16, said Kuala Lumpur mayor Mahadi Che Ngah

He said the market will be opened on May 17 at 12.01am.

“There will be no business activity during the closure,” Mahadi said.

A few days ago, 170 traders and workers from the seafood section at the Selayang wholesale market tested positive for Covid-19.

This is the third time an outbreak has been linked to seafood sellers at the market.

KL Hoi Seong Fish Wholesaler Association president Sing Kian Hock said there were 160 seafood stalls with nearly 900 workers at the market.

He told the Malaysian Insight last week that the traders had asked the authorities for some time as they wanted to clear their stock and prevent losses similar to what they suffered when the market was last closed for a Covid-19 outbreak.

Of the 900 workers, 170 have tested positive for the virus, while others are still waiting for their test results.

Sing told The Malaysian Insight that reported cases began to escalate on April 29, and further testing through to May 3 found more positive cases, up to eight or 10 every day.

The market has 448 stalls employing more than 4,000 people, which includes traders and workers.

Of these 168 are seafood stalls, 216 vegetable stalls, and 64 fruit stalls.

The outbreak was transmitted among those working at the seafood stalls, and the number of confirmed cases doubled in just a few days. – May 9, 2021.