50 tenants have died of COVID-19 at San Benito and Lucas de Galvez markets

Tenants at Mérida’s mercados want the City Council to allow them to work from 4:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., as they are currently working from 6:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Tenants of the Lucas de Gálvez and San Benito markets will request the City Council to extend their working hours so that the activities in both supply centers begin at 4:00 a.m. and end at 6:00 p.m.

The president of the “Benito Juárez García” Association of Street Vendors, Tenants and Stalls, Jorge Carlos Ojeda Estrada, reported that since the health measures are respected, there is greater awareness among the tenants to avoid contagion and sanitation actions are being properly carried out.

He indicated that to date at least 50 vendors have died from the coronavirus, so many others are afraid to open their stores or simply show up to work, so now everybody is taking care of the health measures established to avoid contracting the virus.

The leader of the vendors indicated that they expect the authorities to open Hall 1 of the Lucas de Galvez as more space is needed for people to walk through the market.

Ojeda Estrada said that as a result of the complications that the pandemic has left, there are several tenants, especially elderly ones, who decided to close their businesses or leave them in charge of their children or family members to protect their health. but at this point, they no longer know if they will ever recover from the economic crisis.

He recalled that not all vendors are working, since in the case of Lucas de Gálvez, the market is operating at 40 percent of its capacity, while San Benito is operating only at 30 percent.

“There is a lot of fear among the tenants, there have been a lot of contagions, that’s why they are afraid,” he said.

“I estimate that 50 people that used to work at the San Benito and Lucas de Gálvez markets have died, so people are very afraid and they do not want to open their businesses,” he acknowledged.

He added that they will continue to seek support for the union members to keep on facing the pandemic, and expecting that one day, things can go back to normal.