The fishing harbours at Al Wakra, Al Ruwais, Al Khor and Al Thakhira have been subject to strict health control to check the validity and health of the catch on display daily from 7.30pm until 2am. Local Arabic daily 'Arrayah' reported Friday that the purchase transactions at the daily auction are limited to wholesale traders only, and the representatives of commercial complexes, who can buy directly from the fishermen to avoid any potential crowd and large gatherings of customers as part of the precautionary and preventive measures to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.
The Fisheries Department at the Ministry of Municipality and Environment has instructed all the workers on the fishing boats and those who take part in the daily evening auction to wear face masks and gloves to avoid any chance of transmitting infection. Al Wakra fishing harbour is considered one of the most important in the country, as it has the largest number of fishing boats and conduct daily fishing trips supplying the local market with tonnes of different types of fish.
Accordingly, the health inspectors of the municipality conduct various visual and physical tests of the fish before being displayed at the market to ensure their validity for human consumption. The inspectors also ensure that the sellers and fishermen keep such fish in sufficient quantity of ice to keep them fresh longer. In the meantime, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry has been announcing the permissible maximum retail prices of fish for a period of 10 days at a time through regular circulars to avoid any possible manipulation of prices.
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