In accordance with the health authorities’ pandemic prevention guidelines, the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) requires hawkers in all markets and hawker areas to properly wear masks during opening hours, and reminds them that if they need to drink water, they should do so only when there are no customers around, and wear masks immediately after drinking water. Meanwhile, hawkers are not allowed to eat during the opening hours of their stalls, not only to protect their own health and safety, but also to comply with the pandemic prevention requirements. The inspection staff of IAM have been stepping up inspections, urging hawkers to abide by relevant regulations, and reduce the risk of spread of the virus with joint efforts.
In coordination with the government's pandemic prevention policy, a special permission card is required to take public buses this week. IAM has earlier distributed the special permission cards to hawkers for them to get to and back from work by bus, and go home for meals and rest during lunch break.
Since this outbreak of the pandemic, IAM has strictly required hawkers in the markets and hawker areas to complete rapid antigen tests before working every day. Inspection staff have continued to step up inspections and remind the hawkers to strictly abide by the guidelines for hygiene and pandemic prevention, and take adequate personal hygiene protection measures to protect the health of themselves and consumers. Individuals entering the markets are also required to wear masks properly, undergo temperature measurement, show their “Health Codes” and record their local travel history.