Department stores and night markets in southern Taiwan have been hit hard by a cluster of infections after 24 members of the navy tested positive for COVID-19 over the weekend.
All were members of a fleet on a Friendship Flotilla visit to Palau in March. While 744 people of the fleet have been recalled for testing, some places where the infected navy personnel went from April 15 to 18 are closed for disinfection.
Hanshin Department Store in the southern city of Kaohsiung is closed for two days for disinfection. It’s one of the places where confirmed cases of COVID-19 from the navy went last week. The closure means 60,000 shoppers will avoid the place and revenue losses of NT$60 million (US$ 2 million).
Another department store and a shopping center in the southern city of Tainan closed for a day on Monday. The shopping center lost NT$12 million (US$400,000).
Ruei Feng Night Market fared no better. It closed for three days in a row, which has never happened over the past two decades. One manager says life is difficult for the 600 street vendors as together they will lose about NT$10 million (US$330,000 )
Another victim is Liu He Night market. Since the COVID-19 outbreak, it has seen its street stalls drop from 175 to 100. A vendor says business has dropped by 70% to 80%, a serious challenge they’ve never encountered before.