Antioquia’s Central Wholesale Produce Market Here Wins Coronavirus-Controls ‘OK’
The “Central Mayorista” wholesale produce market in the Medellin suburb of Itagüí just got a crucial “OK” grade from Antioquia’s Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development Rodolfo Correa Vargas during an April 18 personal inspection to check for Coronavirus prevention.
Correa visited the giant Central Produce Market – by far the largest in metro Medellin, serving the entire metropolitan area — ”in order to verify compliance with biosafety protocols, price controls and the timely supply of products for the consumption of the Antioqueños,” according to an April 19 bulletin from the Antioquia departmental government.
A special sanitary-control board is now operating at the wholesale center, composed of the center’s own board of directors, its top management, the Mayor of Itagüí and the Health Department Secretariats of Antioquia and Itagüí, according to the Antioquia government.
“People can be absolutely calm and assured because we know that the Central Produce Market is the heart of Antioquia department’s [fresh-food] supply,” Secretary Correa stated.
Beyond daily, continuing sanitary inspections and controls, the market also underwent a comprehensive disinfection of exhibition and marketing areas on April 18, according to the departmental government.
In addition, merchants operating at the Central Market “will acquire an electronic thermometer so that the temperature and symptoms of workers and buyers entering this large supply center are permanently monitored,” according to the departmental government.
Anyone entering or working at the Center also must be wearing a proper face mask — and disinfectants are provided “to ensure that the space is kept clean and free from pathogens,” according to the government.
Special focus on Central Mayorista came in the wake of unrelated Coronavirus contamination issues among some workers around Medellin’s Central Minorista retail market near downtown Medellin last week — an issue that triggered a massive disinfection operation, following a mandatory closure.
