The Central Market closes again: maintenance is underway ahead of new inspections.

Shops are scheduled to reopen on Monday, March 16

Another week of total closure for Milan's Mercato Centrale. The decision comes after inspections carried out by the ATS in February, which had already led to the suspension of numerous shops due to serious hygiene and sanitation deficiencies. Now, at the initiative of the company that manages the Mercato Centrale itself, all the shutters have been lowered to allow for extraordinary cleaning operations once again. The sign posted at the entrance informs customers that "the business will be closed for a week for maintenance," and, according to the announcement, reopening is scheduled for next Monday.

The decision to close the entire food hub that has been operating on the Via Sammartini side of the Central Station since 2021 was made last Sunday. Doors barred by barriers, windows covered with paper to prevent anyone from seeing inside, and shops completely wrapped in plastic: an unusual scenario, but not significantly different from the recent one.

The total closure comes after checks by Milan's ATS (local health authority) during inspections in February led to the closure of 17 out of 27 shops. The reasons were "serious deficiencies in cleaning and maintenance" and the widespread and massive presence of pests, particularly cockroaches. In the following days, after cleaning every corner of their shops, some businesses managed to reopen. Now, however, the decision has been made to take more radical action. All market stores, including those that passed the inspections, will remain closed to allow for deep cleaning operations to be carried out by specialized companies. The measures also include the removal or replacement of some furnishings that would make it difficult to ensure adequate hygiene conditions within the shops.

Already in the days following the initial measures, Mercato Centrale declared itself "at the complete disposal of the competent authorities," ensuring prompt compliance with the requirements received. The company also emphasized that it has always paid great attention to the cleanliness and hygiene of its spaces, with bi-weekly internal checks in constant collaboration with Grandi Stazioni. A decision to use an entire week to thoroughly examine the Central Market aims to remove any doubts among the most loyal customers, in the hope of being able to reopen next week.

Link to the site:https://milano.repubblica.it/c...