TRADERS at Kuala Lumpur wholesale market in Selayang are living in fear of contracting Covid-19 after 400 workers were infected, with eight of them succumbing to the virus last month.

Furthermore, despite reopening on May 18 after closing for the third time since the pandemic began, they told The Malaysian Insight business is not the same with many recording revenues plummeting by more than 50% compared with normal trading.

They said people are scared to come to the market and even traders are worried as there are still sporadic cases reported.

They complained that the stringent checks by the authorities, which require anyone entering the wholesale market to produce a coronavirus screening report, are also keeping customers and even some traders away.

Their only hope now, traders said, is for everyone at the market to get vaccinated soon.

Kuala Lumpur Hoi Seong Fish Wholesalers Association president Sing Kian Hock said the government had promised them they will be vaccinated.

“On May 20, I submitted a list of 500 fishmongers and their workers to the Kuala Lumpur health department.

“We are still waiting for their response. The fish traders are willing to bear the cost of their own vaccinations if the government’s vaccination programme does not reach us soon.

“In the meantime, there are still cases sprouting in the market and I have reminded the fishmongers to be vigilant or we will be looking at a fourth outbreak,” Sing said.

Three previous outbreaks resulted in the temporary closure of the market in April 2020, January and May this year.

The wholesale market – with 448 seafood, fruit and vegetable stalls – has 4,000 traders and workers working at any one time.

It is the largest wholesale market in the Klang Valley, supplying fresh food to other smaller markets, supermarkets and restaurants across the region and surrounding states.

Traders said since the start of the third movement-control order (MCO 3.0), many goods go unsold every day.

Sing said since early May, 400 people have been diagnosed with the Covid-19 virus, with eight of them succumbing to the virus.

All bar one of the dead were traders, the exception was customer who visited the market.

Sing said fishmongers are now operating in fear because cases and close contacts are recurring even after the market reopened on May 18.

“People have stopped coming. Business has dropped by more than 50%,” Sing said.

“It has become worse now with the total lockdown.”

Sing said those working in the market should be considered front-liners because they provide food to the masses on a daily basis.

He also said the wholesale market is no longer able to hire new workers due to fears of contracting Covid-19.

“Many relatives are forced to come out to help with the business.”

Covid-19 screening report requirement

Kuala Lumpur Vegetable Wholesalers Association president Wong Keng Fatt said 59 vegetable vendors were diagnosed from the widescale Covid-19 screening before May 17.

“No one was diagnosed after the business reopened, and now we are waiting for the government to arrange vaccinations for us,” he said.

However, he is unhappy that Kuala Lumpur City Hall enforcement wants anyone who enters the wholesale market to produce a screening report. Only those who are negative can enter.

“How many people will go for screening to enter the wholesale market?” Wong said.

“This will reduce the number of hawkers.”

He said the volume of vegetables ordered from farmers have decreased because there are no customers.

Kuala Lumpur Fruits Wholesalers Association president Chin Nyuk Moy said the screening report requirement is unfair to the vendors.

“The authorities have trapped the vendors in the wholesale market. Fruit and vegetable shops in the surrounding areas can operate without any report. This has taken away our customers,” Chin said.

“In the past, we had at least 20 orders a day. Now it is difficult to get even 10 orders a day for our fruit.”

She said the authorities had even warned them that their licences will be revoked if they do not open their stalls.

“Fruit vendors who are worried of being infected by Covid-19 would be forced to open two to three hours a day,” she said.

Chin added that fruit merchants were afraid to buy goods from foreign countries during the total lockdown for fear they cannot be sold.

Currently, the fruit is from local farmers and even this cannot be sold.

“To avoid wastage, we donate the ripe fruit to charitable organisations,” Chin said. – June 10, 2021.