Fish markets mistaken as Covid source ‘face Bt1bn hit’

The Talay Thai market and Mae Klong Fish market were deserted by customers even though the infected woman worked at a separate market, Talad Krong, which sells only prawn.

Almost no trade was done at the city’s two main fish markets on Friday, after shoppers mistook them for the source of the latest domestic case of Covid-19, said Kamjon Mongkoltrilak, president of the Fisheries Association of Thailand.

“I would like to clarify that the woman infected with Covid-19 owns a prawn shop at a separate location from the fish markets. The woman’s shop sold no seafood, only prawn raised in ponds.”

He added that Talay Thai market and Mae Klong Fish market were also separate markets, but media had used photos of both in their news coverage of the Covid-19 case. This had confused shoppers and scared them away from both markets, he said.

Mongkol Mongkoltrilak, president of Samut Sakhon Fisheries Association, confirmed that the freshwater prawn shop owned by the infected woman had no link with the two markets at all. He insisted that the two fish markets were still safe.

The misleading news coverage would impact around 100,000 people who work in the two markets and their estimated Bt1 billion annual trade, said Mongkol Sukcharoenkana, former president and adviser of the Fisheries Association of Thailand.

Mongkol added that boat workers stay in Thailand and face strict disease controls including temperature measurement both on and off the fishing boats.

However, undocumented migrant seafood workers have evaded quarantine and are being sought by health officials, he said. He warned of dire consequences of importing Covid-19 from overseas fisheries workers.