AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums Belize by District Orange Walk Orange Walk market closed temporarily due to COVID 19 case

The Orange Walk Town Council hereby informs the general public that effective tomorrow the market area will be closed temporarily to vendors and customers. This is to allow for the full sanitization of that area. This decision has come about due to the fact that one of the Covid19 patient had and has been conducting business at the Fort Cairns Market Plaza. The family has a stall and they all have been placed in home quarantine.

In order to avoid the spread of this very deadly virus, we have taken the decision to close the market temporarily.

In addition, we will place more stricter rules as it relates to persons vending at the Market Area. Any vendor found in contravention of these rules will be evicted permanently from the market area.

This decision has come in order to protect the wider citizenry and to ensure full compliance by vendors doing business at the market.

Fort Cairns Market Plaza to Remain Closed

The Orange Walk Town Council, on the advice of the Ministry of Health (MOH), has taken the decision to continue with the closure of the Fort Cairns Market Plaza to allow for health officials to carry out a comprehensive mapping exercise. The Reporter was told that the decision was taken after it was learned that both the wife and son of the farmer diagnosed with the virus, all vendors, had tested positive for COVID-19.

Sources say that over the weekend the wife was conducting business at the market while already exhibiting symptoms of the virus. What is worrisome to health officials is that the woman was reportedly in close contact with at least two other vendors, as well as shoppers at the market. The Council has stated that it will keep the market area closed for as long as possible to allow the health team enough time to carry out their mapping exercise.

It is suspected that the farmer contracted the virus via the contraband trade. For that reason, the Council says that in conjunction with the Police and BAHA officials they will be coming down hard on the contraband trade and will be conducting random spot checks within the market area when it re-opens.

The Fort Cairns Market Plaza was closed to the public over the weekend to allow for proper sanitization of the area and was scheduled to have reopened today.