Farmers market at Prague's Náplavka to return Saturday, others already underway

The farmers market at Prague’s Náplavka will start on April 24, after having been canceled for this past Saturday, market operating association Archetyp announced on its website. Farmers markets have been allowed since the state of emergency ended at midnight on April 11, but only if they met certain conditions.

They also asked people to follow the “three Rs”: ruce (hands), roušky (face masks), rozestupy (distancing). Over 15 vendors are expected to participate in the market, selling fruits and vegetables, flowers, dairy products, eggs, poultry, baked goods, meat and sausages, and delicacies.

In addition to limiting the number of people to one person per 15 square meters, the stands must be at least two meters apart. It is also forbidden to sell snacks meant to be eaten on the spot, or having tables and seats available.

The Náplavka market scheduled for April 17 was canceled by municipal company Trade Centre Praha (TCP) two days before it was supposed to take place as an agreement could not be reached on how to control the number of visitors.

Archetyp head Jiří Sedláček said the association proposed having two entrances at either end of the market, but that would have meant closing 10 other entrances. Sedláček said other markets were allowed to operate by similarly limiting access.

Prague 3 Town Hall, which operate the farmers market at náměstí Jiřího z Poděbrad, urged people to follow the distancing and other rules so that markets could continue to operate from now on.

Markets had been banned since the end of January, and were restricted several times in 2020. They stopped taking place at Náplavka at the end of October after a photo of a crowded embankment appeared on social networks, but reopened again before Christmas.

Several other farmers markets began operating last week. Also the fruit and vegetable market in Hall 22 of the Prague Market (Pražská tržnice) in Holešovice has reopened, with respirators required to shop inside.