The Minister of People’s Power for National Commerce, Eneida Laya, held a meeting with representatives of the National Association of Supermarkets and grocery stores (ANSA), in order to guarantee access to food to the population amidst the fight against COVID-19 .
She explained that given the slight increase in cases of coronavirus infections, it is necessary to respect the established schedules so that the population can have access to basic products, while ensuring the health of the population.
In this way, she called for increased campaigns to enforce biosafety standards: “We know that everyone wants to sell and others want to buy, but we have to protect ourselves,” she emphasized.
She recalled that the grocery and supermarkets sector have been within the prioritized sectors since the beginning of the quarantine, with a schedule established between 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.
“To avoid the crowding of people, this schedule will be extended until 9:00 at night, so that we continue to work in an articulated manner and respect the biosafety protocol,” reported Laya.
Likewise, she asked the Association to review what have been the failures in the application of biosafety measures.
“The security bodies will be deployed to work so that this week we reinforce the measures and social awareness,” added the Minister, while acknowledging that this sector has had an increase in sales to the public, including grocery stores, warehouses and delicatessen stores.
During the meeting, the vice minister of the Integrated Police System (Visipol), G / D José Gregorio Rojas Eugenio, regretted that the measures are not being complied with in some businesses:
“You have been the main allies, we are all responsible for security. The idea is that the food sector continues working and contributes to the safety of the population,” he said.
He assured that security agencies will be deployed in supermarkets in order to verify that the measures are met, while non-compliance with the rules and any eventuality can be reported through the 9-1-1 emergency number.
