Ghaziapur Mandi closed for 2 days after two COVID-19 cases reported from marketplace

The Delhi government on Thursday closed the Ghazipur fruit and vegetable auction yard for two days for sanitisation, after two COVID-19 cases were reported from the wholesale market, leading to fears among traders.

Two senior officials of the Ghazipur Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, an official said.

This is the first time that COVID-19 cases have been reported from the Ghazipur mandi, he said.

The cases at the Gazipur market comes days after at least 16 COVID-19 cases were reported from the Azadour fruits and vegetable mandi, the biggest wholesale market in Asia.

"The Ghazipur mandi has been closed for two days during which the entire mandi will be sanitised. The APMC office has also been sealed," the official said.

He said a surveillance team has started contact tracing for the two infected officials of the APMC and added that 11 staff members will undergo COVID-19 test on Friday.

The APMC has requested the government to conduct COVID-19 test for all traders and labourers at the market.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) Jasmeet Singh, who is also a member of the District Disaster Management Authority, said the the mandi is being regularly disinfected but it has been decided that all shops inside the market should also be sanitised completely to further contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The officer said a police team is deployed round-the-clock to check unnecessary movement of people at the mandi.

The Ghazipur vegetable and fruit mandi caters to the need of a large population in east Delhi and National Capital Region towns of Ghaziabad and Noida