The Association of Fairs and Markets of the Northern Region (AFMRN) considered today that the suspension of fairs and markets in the context of combating the pandemic is “discriminatory” and will be “fatal” for thousands of families and businesses.
“We are very afraid of the times ahead. We were taken by surprise yesterday [sábado] with this ad. Marketers from all over the country, and those from the North are no exception, are in a very serious situation. We think that there is a duality of criteria for different areas of trade. We are not against others working. We just want to be let to work ”, said the president of AFMRN, Fernando Sá, to Lusa.
Already in a statement, the association, which represents about 8,000 market vendors in the North, begins by safeguarding that it is “aware of the worsening of the epidemiological situation” and is “as it has always been available to face the fight against the pandemic”, but warns that the suspension fairs “will be fatal” for the sector.
The Government determined on Saturday the civic duty of home collection in 121 municipalities in the country due to the increase in cases related to the new coronavirus.
The catering establishments cannot have tables with more than six people and their closing time is at 10:30 pm.
Teleworking is also mandatory except for “reasoned opposition” by the worker.
In these municipalities, fairs and uprising markets are prohibited, while events and celebrations are limited to five people, except in cases where the participants belong to the same household.
To Lusa, Fernando Sá enumerated the municipalities in the North where this measure will affect market vendors, pointing out that “out of a total of 86 only 23 will be able” to maintain fairs and markets.
“We estimate that these measures affect about 80% of the market’s in the region,” he said.
The association warns that “if the marketers do not work, they cannot generate income for their most basic needs, such as eating or paying the water and electricity bills”, and that “if the marketers cannot work, all the suppliers of these marketers, upstream, will no longer have anyone to sell to and everyone will be without income ”.
“There will be about 80 thousand small and medium-sized entrepreneurs that will be left without a source of subsistence that will put tens of thousands of workers into unemployment. Why put traders in a situation of imminent insolvency? Why discriminate between marketers and street traders, the traditional? Why discriminate against marketers in relation to ‘malls’? Why are we only remembered in the streets of political campaigns? Because we are always the poor relative of the various sectors of commerce ”, asks AFMRN.
The association recalls that when the operation of fairs was once again allowed, throughout the country, specific contingency plans were defined, giving the example of rules such as the maximum capacity for each room, the conditions for access control, the circuits for entrances and exits, as well as the proper circulation corridors.
“Alcohol gel dispensers were placed at the entrances and exits of the spaces and at all stalls at the fair. The use of the mask was always mandatory, all under surveillance control and under the guidance of the respective health delegations. However, after about six months after the reopening and implementation of the rules, no case of contagion related to this activity was detected or reported, and it is clear that it cannot be concluded that this activity represents a greater risk than any other commercial activity, like shopping malls or street stores, ”says AFMRN.
The covid-19 pandemic has already claimed nearly 1.2 million deaths worldwide since December last year, including 2,544 in Portugal.
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