Baguio night market closed over distancing violations

Citing crowd control lapses, the Baguio City government has suspended the operation of its famous night market, which reopened on Tuesday night.

Mayor Benjamin Magalong ordered city treasurer Alex Cabarrubias and market superintendent Fernando Ragma Jr. to conduct a post-night market reopening assessment.

“Identify our weak points and vulnerabilities and discuss solutions. I want feedback as soon as possible,” Magalong said.

The night market along Harrison Road reopened from 8: 30 p. m. until 11: 30 p.m., with 481 or 45 percent of the total number of stalls allowed to operate.

Photos posted on social media show that physical distancing was not observed by those who trooped to the night market after the lighting of Session Road.

The reopening of the night market is seen to help revive the local economy and restore the livelihood of vendors who were displaced due to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.

In Ilocos Norte, the public market and a commercial complex in Laoag City were locked down after 12 vendors tested positive for COVID-19 in the past three days.

The city health office recorded 19 cases yesterday.

Laoag, which reverted to modified enhanced community quarantine or MECQ on Nov. 27, logged a total of 226 cases, 162 of them active.

In Pangasinan, Tayug Mayor Carlos Trece Mapili extended the operating hours of their public market, malls and grocery stores to reinvigorate the economy.

As this developed, Visayas COVID-19 chief implementer Mel Feliciano said the epidemic curve has been flattened in Bacolod City.

Feliciano said Bacolod City is now “one of the safest places” in the country.

Bacolod is among the areas placed under modied general community quarantine this month due to declining COVID-19 cases. –