LAOAG CITY — Following the easing of quarantine protocols and the continuous decrease of coronavirus infections, the Laoag City government has allowed the reopening of a wider night market with adherence to minimum health and safety protocols.
After observing its dry run operation, Laoag City Mayor Michael M. Keon on Wednesday reminded vendors and consumers to strictly observe crowd control measures to ensure smooth operation of the night market.
With the reopening of the night market on Tuesday, residents here are given more options where to buy food and vendors are also equally excited to go back into business.
From Monday to Saturday, the Abadilla and Villanueva streets located at the eastern and western portion of the Laoag City Public Market and Commercial Complex will be temporarily closed from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Visible markers were established so that vendors know where to place their goods and ensure physical distancing.
To revive the local economy and help displaced workers go back to work, the city night market first reopened last March but its initial dry run operation was cut shortly due to fresh spikes of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases in the city.
Initially, there were some 70 peddler-vendors who signed up for the reopening of the night market but the preference shall be given to regular market vendors.
During the operation of the night market, the management has designated entrance and exit points where market-goers have their body temperature screened and registered in a logbook for contact tracing purposes.
At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Laoag public market faced several lockdowns, affecting the livelihood of several stall owners and their helpers.