Health

COVID-19 pandemic scares customers, merchants in Nicaragua markets

Managua, May 23 (EFE).- Although the COVID-19 pandemic has not completely halted the fragile economic activity in Nicaragua, the novel coronavirus has scared merchants and customers from markets and shopping centers of the country, where the decrease in visits is evident.Markets in Managua, such as the iconic Oriental Market, which received about 100,000 customers daily, or the Roberto Huembes, which attracted some 8,000 shoppeds, have now become empty, not only because clients are too scared to visit, but also due to retailers themselves who refuse to open their stores."Of course there has been less influx, since the first case was detected in March, as 50 percent of the merchants went on a self-quarantine. I tried to return, but it is not worth the risk of contracting the virus," Lisandro Roque, seller of school supplies at the Mercado Oriental, told EFE.According to Roque, part of the fear is due to the fact that the government have confirmed only 279 cases and 17 deaths from the pandemic, much less than the 2,323 infections and 465 deaths reported by the private COVID-19 Citizen's Observatory, which enjoys greater credibility than the authorities in Nicaragua. (Camea: RENEÉ LUCÍA RAMOS).FOOTAGE SHOWS ACTIVITIES AT MERCADO ORIENTAL, THE LARGEST MARKET IN NICARAGUA.