Central Market, smell of detergent and lights out: customers are taken aback by the extensive cleaning.

In the activities sanctioned by the ATS, staff sanitize furnishings and spaces, while the posted signs refer to "maintenance work."

We are carrying out extraordinary maintenance work involving most of the shops on the ground floor. The service is carried out regularly in the outdoor area and on the first floor. We apologize for the inconvenience. This is what can be read on the signs displayed in the 17 stands inside the Central Market that have not passed the ATS hygiene and health checks.

Entering the ground floor, the impression is that of a market in the process of opening, with work still in progress. The intense smell of detergent is immediately noticeable, and the few customers who enter look around, somewhat perplexed, as they find themselves faced with closed shutters and completely empty counters. "But everything's closed," someone comments, dragging their suitcases, trying to figure out what's left open.

In the central corridor, they make their way through the frantically busy cleaning staff. Some are using brooms and brushes, others are repeatedly wiping down the counters, refrigerators, and all other surfaces with sprays and cloths, and others are pushing floor-washing machines similar to those used in supermarkets. The display cases, which until a few days ago displayed ready-made meals, pastries, and focaccia, are completely empty. In some stalls, the refrigerators are emptied and carefully cleaned until they sparkle, while in others, only the menus hanging from the ceiling remain.

No statement of any kind is received from the cleaning staff beyond what is stated on the notices displayed. "Everything you need to know is already written on this sign," an employee simply says bluntly, while carefully polishing a display case. "It's just extraordinary maintenance," adds another worker, intent on repeatedly cleaning every single wooden beam on the outside of the counter, wiping down the most hidden corners.

On the right side of the ground floor, the sanitization operations proceed meticulously, inch by inch. Some lean inside the turned-off ovens to clean them thoroughly, others clean sinks and dishes, and others check the spaces under the counters. On the left, however, the half-empty outdoor area welcomes customers only in front of the few businesses that remain open.

Among the open stands is Bistrot Pedol, which serves aperitifs and glasses of wine to those sitting at its tables. In addition to the bistro, Fabio Zhu's sushi, the pizzeria, Bottega Iberica, Sergio Barzetti's rice, and the Michelis family's fresh pasta remain open.

Upstairs, where Giorgio Tarantino, Riccardo Tocci, another Bottega Iberica, and Bottega Araba are located, the atmosphere is completely different. The tables are almost entirely occupied, and the waiters are working as usual. Here, too, however, no comment has been received regarding the situation on the lower floor, and the response remains the same: "They're undergoing extraordinary maintenance, nothing more." Meanwhile, cleaning continues on the lower floor, and even when leaving, the feeling remains that of a construction site.

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