Fishmongers told to close stalls until they have negative PCR test

Fishmongers had to put their sales on ice early yesterday morning after the National Environment Agency (NEA) said they would have to get a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) Covid-19 test result before resuming operations.

When The Straits Times visited Kovan Market and Food Centre at about 7am yesterday, fishmongers said they were told to close their stalls, even though they had received a negative antigen rapid test (ART) result on Saturday.

A few of them were unhappy because they did not get any advance warning about having to close shop temporarily and they had already picked up supplies for sale from Senoko Fishery Port yesterday.

With the emergence of the cluster linked to Jurong Fishery Port, NEA said yesterday that fishmongers at markets managed by NEA or operators appointed by the agency will not be allowed to resume sales until they get a negative PCR test result.

The move is to prevent a further spread of Covid-19 infections after the emergence of a cluster involving fishmongers who visited Jurong Fishery Port, NEA and the Ministry of Health (MOH) said in a joint statement yesterday.

The fishmongers had gone to the port to pick up supplies for sale.

The statement added that stallholders not selling fresh fish or seafood can continue to operate while testing takes place over the next few days.

All stallholders and stall assistants should also get tested, added NEA and MOH.

People should avoid crowds at food centres and markets, and visit during off-peak hours where possible, the statement said. They should also strictly observe safe management measures, it added.

The fishmongers will receive an SMS Health Risk Warning (HRW) from MOH, if they have not already been sent one, meaning that they will be required by law to get a PCR test at designated testing centres.

While awaiting their results, they will be required to self-isolate and not leave their homes until their test result comes back negative. Once they have tested negative, they will be able to reopen their stalls and resume business.

They will also be issued self-test ART kits and are required to self-administer an ART on the seventh day of their last known exposure to a likely Covid-19 case, followed by another PCR test around the 14th day.

Fishmongers can walk in for testing at selected regional screening centres at the former Da Qiao Primary School in Ang Mo Kio, the former Coral Primary School in Pasir Ris, the former Bedok North Secondary School, the former Bishan Park Secondary School and the former Shuqun Secondary School.

MOH is also working with NEA to conduct Covid-19 testing for all stallholders and stall assistants at market stalls and cooked food stalls in hawker centres and markets managed by NEA or NEA-appointed operators.

They will get an SMS notification, with details of the scheduled test.

When ST visited a wet market in Pasir Ris Drive 6 at about 11am yesterday, a fishmonger who wanted to be known only as Ms Mei was the only one selling fish.

But her supply was dwindling, and there were only two fish left on the ice bed in her stall. Her stall assistants could be seen packing up fish parts into styrofoam boxes.

The market is not under the list of wet markets on NEA's website.

Ms Mei said: "There is no more supply coming from Jurong Fishery Port, so I don't have much to sell, too. There were customers today asking for fish, but there isn't much to sell them."

She has yet to receive an SMS Health Risk Warning from the authorities.

A fishmonger who wanted to be known only as Mr Lim, 68, at 216 Bedok North Street 1 (Market and Food Centre), told ST that the authorities visited the market at about 3am yesterday, and asked fish stall owners to shut and have their swab tests taken.

A number of fishmongers were directed to a quick test centre that had been set up at Bedok Interchange, he added.

"I managed to sell all my stock by Saturday noon," he said, adding that the fishmongers were told to isolate at home and to watch the news for more details on when they can reopen their stalls.

He said he procures his stock from both Jurong Fishery Port and Senoko Fishery Port, and that around 24 fish stalls at the market also get their seafood from both ports.

While Jurong Fishery Port has more than 100 merchants and attracts up to 3,000 customers daily, its counterpart at Senoko operates on a much smaller scale, with just 25 merchants and between 700 and 1,000 customers daily.

The larger port handles about 30 per cent of all of Singapore's seafood imports, including those that arrive by land and air, said the Singapore Food Agency on Saturday.