Return of market forces

MARKET stalls selling clothing, shoes and textiles made a welcome return to Jávea’s street market this week - but under the terms of the new normality.

Food stalls were allowed to set up for the traditional Thursday market as early as May 7; but now other traders will be again open for business.

Councillor for markets Marta Bañuls said the market was limited to one area at present, Plaza de la Constitución, rather than three separate locations in normal times.

Measures were already in place to reduce the risk of Covid-19 infection, including minimum distances between stalls, controlling access to shoppers for social distancing, and mandatory wearing of masks and use of sanitiser gels.

She said the town hall now wanted to allow a greater range of stalls rather than those just selling ‘essentials’ but because of the need to space out stalls, it was proposed traders follow a timetable, opening for two successive Thursdays and alternating every fortnight. Food and fresh produce stalls will still be able to open every week.

A proposal to stage two markets a week - one for food and another for clothing and textiles - was rejected because businesses have commitments to offer their goods in markets serving other communities.

The councillor said the town hall provided an opportunity for stalls to reopen after months of ‘inactivity’ and she hoped regional regulations for street markets would soon be ‘clarified or made more flexible’.