Govt reorganizes wholesale vegetable and other markets in face of pandemic
Due to the recent COVID-19 outbreak in Liangzhu and Hangzhou vegetable wholesale markets in Yuhang District, steps have been taken to ensure food safety, and daily groceries are delivered promptly citywide.
The Liangzhu Wholesale Vegetable Market is operating normally, while the Hangzhou Wholesale Vegetable Market is still closed.
"The outbreak won't impact residents' purchase of vegetables and other needs, since we have immediately started the emergency plan to ensure adequate supply," said Jin Huanguo, vice director of Hangzhou Commerce Bureau.
The Binjiang Fire Rescue Brigade moves the high-tech portable lab to Nanhuan Road.
The bureau has been organizing vendors and operators to transport 3,000 tons of food to the Liangzhu Wholesale Market every day.
Citywide supplies are stable and sufficient, including 2,600 tons of refined grains, 300 tons of edible oil, 700 tons of pork and 500 tons of eggs daily.
Six chain supermarkets and four online platforms are working to make full use of logistics and supply chain advantages.
The supermarkets can sell out 930 tons of vegetables every day, while the online platforms can take 280 tons to customers daily.
"The bureau has strengthened the supervision of prices, and the number of supervised vegetables has expanded to 26 from 7," said Jin. "We have activated the price mechanism to balance the supply chain of relevant necessities."
Apart from the Liangzhu Wholesale Vegetable Market, the Hangzhou Agricultural and Byproducts Logistics Center, the Wholesale Meat Market and the Grain and Oil Wholesale Market in the city remain in operation.
Farmers, vendors, operators and consumers can go there with a pass issued by local authorities and a 24-hour negative nucleic acid test report. All wet markets are operating normally.
"Residents can buy supplies without worries, so no need to stock up," said Jin.
Some infected cases found in Hangzhou are truck drivers from other provinces. Drivers face the risk of infection, as well as other difficulties and challenges while transporting supplies between different cities and provinces.
A firefighter from the Binjiang Fire Rescue Brigade relocated the lab to a venue on Nanhuan Road on April 5.
On April 6, Hangzhou announced 10 measures to support truck drivers. First, it will subsidize local freight companies up to 50 percent of the cost of disinfection materials and virus prevention equipment and measures. Freight companies can defer paying employees' basic health insurance and housing.
All expressway service areas and logistics parks will give priority to providing accommodation, boiled water, hot meals, showers and other services for truck drivers to ensure pandemic prevention and safety.
"The city's 93 highway entrances have boiled water and meal services. By April 8, more than 2,590 drivers had been provided with hot food during regular meal times," said Wu Zhirong, vice director of Hangzhou Transportation Bureau.
All drivers are provided with free nucleic acid tests, and green channels have been set up for trucks delivering pandemic prevention materials and daily supplies.
It takes workers just one night to dismantle, move and set up the Lei-Di Lab.
Hangzhou has also set up a membrane-structure lab brimming with technology at the cutting edge of medical diagnosis.
The Lei-Di Lab featuring a negative pressure zone can function as a nucleic acid testing laboratory or isolation wards.
The foldable and portable facility was designed by Dian Diagnostics, a Hangzhou-based medical company.
The lab was built in Binjiang District in January to fight the COVID-19 pandemic in Hangzhou during the New Year holiday.
On April 5, the Binjiang Fire Rescue Brigade relocated the lab to a venue on Nanhuan Road. It took only a night to move and set up.
The lab can complete nucleic acid tests for nearly 1 million people in 24 hours.
The full Lei-Di Lab kit consists of six inflatable membrane structures. Since the lab can accommodate infected patients, the movable Lei-Di facility can form a complete mobile hospital.
In coordination with local government, the company will deal with unexpected outbreaks.
Its stored membrane-structure and in-vehicle containers can be efficiently delivered to any spot citywide.
On arrival, the prefabricated interior and equipment can be put into use by unfolding the inflatable membrane structure.
The interior functional areas are separated by membranes. An intelligent cabin pressure control and a dedicated outdoor air system can adjust the air pressure in different areas to form pressure gradient differences, realizing the conversion of positive and negative pressure.
