Numbers of people buying fresh food at market decline

People who like to cook with fresh ingredients are still going to the esplanade of Laos-ITECC exhibition venue to buy food but the crowds are smaller due to concerns about the Covid-19 outbreak.
This fresh market for organic produce is open twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, from morning till noon.

The fresh market at the esplanade of the Laos-ITECC exhibition in Vientiane on April 1.

When the Vientiane Times reporters went there on Wednesday morning – after Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith ordered government agencies and international organisations to work online from home during April 1-19 to avert the spread of Covid-19 – there were some shoppers at the venue. Vegetable merchants at the market said people were coming to the market but not as much as before. Some traders said most buyers usually come to purchase fresh food and return home immediately.
A young woman at the market told Vientiane Times that she hadn’t seen many people at the market. “That is a good thing because I am scared of Covid-19.
However, people were there to buy beef, pork, goat and fish, as well as vegetables and saplings for planting at home. The shoppers and sellers all wore masks,” she said.
Some people buy large quantities of fresh vegetables and other produce as they don’t want to go to the market every day. Staying home for as long as possible is a good way to avoid getting infected, some shoppers said.
On Wednesday morning, there was no rush in the market and many streets did not have a large number of cars. In addition, many shops were open as usual.
“Right now, the life of the people is still the same, but they wear masks when they step outside their houses,” the woman said.
In Laos, officials said on Monday the number of people infected by the Coronavirus was still nine.
According to The Nation daily of Thailand, as of April 1, the total number of confirmed cases in the neighbouring country was 1,771 – 1,429 were under treatment, of whom 23 are in a critical condition, 342 have recovered and been discharged, and there have been 12 deaths. Of the total cases, 1,500 are Thai nationals and 271 foreigners.
Globally, there are more than 850,000 confirmed cases and around 42,000 deaths.

By Khonesavanh Latsaphao
(Latest Update April 1, 2020)