The four large Portuguese supply markets, operating in Braga, Évora, Faro and Lisbon, will remain in operation and with the usual hours during the current state of emergency, announced today the public company responsible for its management.
The Sociedade Instaladora de Mercados Abastecedores (SIMAB), as a company of the Parpública group, which manages the four supply markets in Portugal, guarantees the maintenance of activity until 30 January, despite the restriction imposed to contain the spread of the pandemic of Covid-19, which started on Friday and has a duration of 15 days.
“SIMAB, a public company of the Parpública group, and responsible for the four major supply markets in the country, in Lisbon, Faro, Braga and Évora, guarantees the full operation, at the usual times, of its markets during the period of validity of the current state of emergency due to covid-19”, the company assured in a statement.
The company, however, launched an appeal to consumers not to enter into a “hurry to stores, markets and supermarkets”, because “the services of MARL, MARF, MARÉ and MARB [Lisbon Region Supply Markets, Faro, Évora and Braga, respectively] and the companies based there are fully operational”.
These companies will "guarantee the supply of essential goods to the almost six million inhabitants in their areas of influence", he stressed.
“Within the four public supplying markets there are more than 1.300 companies ranging from small producers, small and medium wholesalers, medium and large national and multinational companies, in the areas of fruits, vegetables, fish, Cash & Carry, flowers, logistics and transport and pharmaceutical products, among others, ”argued SIMAB.
Many of the partners operating in Portuguese supply markets then supply “bases for large supermarket chains, grocery stores, convenience stores, markets and pharmacies” and also “are prepared to keep face-to-face and online sales in full and delivery to platforms, establishments and homes ”, the company maintained.
“It has been like this since March 2020, without any interruption in the supply chain, and it will also be so in this period”, guaranteed SIMAB, adding that “logistics and transport work without interruption”.
The same source also assured that the regional supply markets have contingency plans activated because of the Covid-19 pandemic and mechanisms were implemented to "enhance their safety", such as the use of "disinfectant product dispensers", the " cleaning of indoor and outdoor spaces” or the “mandatory use of masks or visors”.
With the implementation of the contingency plans, “isolation rooms” were also created and “a permanent telephone number for suspicious situations” was made available ”, also referred the market management company.
SIMAB clarified that MARL (Lisbon) will maintain the "current hours of operation", from Monday to Saturday, with the pavilions operating at different times: fruit and vegetable from 16:30 pm to 22:00 pm, flowers from 17:30 pm to 20:30 pm, and fish from 01:00 am to 03:00 am.
In Évora, the supply market is also open from Monday to Saturday, but from 5:00 am to 12:00 pm, in Faro it is open from monday to friday and on sunday, from 20 pm to midnight, and in Braga it is also open from monday to friday and sunday, but from 00 pm to 24 pm, he added.
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