It’s 10 a.m, and people are coming to the Lukyanivsky market in Kyiv. But they stop surprised at the closed entrance. The security guard wearily informs them that, no, the market has not opened. And, no, he doesn’t know when it will open.
Two days ago, on April 29, the Ukrainian government allowed food bazaars to reopen. The decision came after a wave of protests in several cities by frustrated farmers and individual entrepreneurs, who said they had to throw away rotting produce or sell it for cheap while supermarkets were making profits on the same foodstuffs.
The pleas also came from ordinary citizens who had lost jobs or income due to the lockdown imposed on March 12 to stop the spread of COVID-19. They increasingly need cheap groceries.
As of May 1, Ukraine has 10,861 confirmed coronavirus cases, including 272 deaths and over 1,400 recoveries. The peak of infections is expected next week, and the government has already announced an easing of some restrictions after May 11.
Most public places — except for pharmacies, grocery and household goods stores, banks and petrol stations — have been closed since March 17. The Kyiv metro is closed, and working public transportation is restricted to employees of essential industries.
Despite the government’s permission, the final decision is with local authorities. The Kyiv administration said the markets were not yet ready to reopen and cannot yet comply with sanitary requirements for working during the pandemic.
According to the official decree, bazaars have to introduce body temperature checks and frequent disinfections, as well as physical distancing: one customer per 10 square meters and three meters between stalls. Customers and vendors must wear masks and gloves.
As soon as markets comply with these rules, they will be reopened gradually, Volodymyr Bondarenko, an advisor to Kyiv’s mayor, said on April 30.
However, it was never explicitly announced to the public that bazaars in Kyiv would still be closed on May 1, leaving many customers and vendors in uncertainty and confusion.
Located next to a metro station in a densely populated residential neighborhood, Lukyanivsky is a small food market with several rows of stalls, usually filled with fruits and vegetables, pickles and sauerkraut. Kiosks also sell dairy, smoked meats and spices. The market had been closed for weeks.
Valentyna Sytas lives nearby and, like many other Kyivans, came to the market in hopes of buying some fresh groceries, having heard on television about the reopening. Seeing the closed gates left her disappointed.
“I used to shop at this market all the time. The produce is fresh and local, and the sellers are honest,” she said. “I am annoyed that markets are still closed. We are forced to go to shops that do not comply with (sanitary) rules.”
Opposite Lukyanivsky market, chain supermarket Silpo is open. An employee at the entrance hastily measures the temperatures of customers as they flow in endlessly. It takes a few seconds, and it does not look particularly useful. Inside, there are more customers per 10 square meters than officially allowed. Shop assistants wear protective face screens, and all goods are wrapped in plastic.
Ihor Mazur, an individual entrepreneur, believes there is a supermarket conspiracy against food bazaars and denies COVID-19 exists. He makes smoked meat and used to sell it at Lukyanivsky. When he heard of the reopening, he ordered fresh meat to make new produce.
“The administration of the market called us (sellers) 4-5 days ago and said the place would reopen. Last night, they said it wouldn’t, said that the markets are not ready,” he told the Kyiv Post.
“It’s an open-air space. I have my kiosk with a fridge, so I am separated from clients by glass, and I always work in gloves. I think that we (bazaars) are just competition to supermarkets which are increasing their profits by raising prices.”
Volodymyrsky is a bigger bazaar that sells more than just food. On the morning of May 1, a group of sellers stood in front of the closed gates. One of them was Ruslana Bichinashvili who used to sell overcoats. The cold season is almost over, and she has lost money on all the coats and jackets she wasn’t able to sell.
Since the government allowed only food markets to reopen, she said she was hoping to retrieve some items from storage.
“I can’t work and I don’t have access to my merchandise,” she told the Kyiv Post. “The administration is not saying anything. I continue to pay half of the rent plus a 20% value-added tax. It’s a lot of money, and I don’t make any now.”
Zhytnyi Market, a historic marketplace in the Podil district, did not open its doors either. The administration told vendors that reopening would not happen until the end of quarantine, scheduled for May 11. However, in all likelihood, quarantine will be lifted gradually after that date.
Huge lines have formed at Stolichny market, which has remained open during the quarantine for wholesale but many citizens reportedly continued to shop there for individual needs. On May 1, all customers had to undergo temperature checks, wear masks, and were only allowed inside in small groups.
