Two seafood vendors eat their lunch before another wave of customers arrive at a wet market in Shanghai on Saturday. Photo: Yang Hui/GT

"How can American politicians point fingers so far as to demand the shutdown of our wet markets? Will they support us financially, then?" asked a seafood vendor at the Shanghai Orient International Aquatic Product Center, responding to news that a bipartisan group of top US lawmakers are requesting China to urgently shut down all of its wet markets that have potential to expose humans to health risks amid the global COVID-19 crisis.

"We are making good profits here although I suffered economic losses due to the quarantine period I underwent when I came back to Shanghai from my hometown in Anhui Province in March. We have to earn money to support our families. On what grounds can Americans order around China while the COVID-19 situation in their own country is getting worse now?" Another merchant in the same market asked.

The Shanghai market is among many Chinese wet markets that were affected by the novel coronavirus although it didn't stop business amid the epidemic.

"We are on the daily supply chain in Shanghai to support market produce for millions of residents in the city, so we have kept business in operation around the clock," Sun Guoping, director of the market management section at the Orient International, told the Global Times on Saturday, adding that "retail business has been impacted most as the market had to avoid crowds to prevent COVID-19."

The market strictly abides by regulations from the Shanghai municipal government to disinfect venues, meet hygiene standards, and guide all merchants in the market to properly abide by the law, according to Sun. 

The market also punishes those who violate regulations during the national anti-viral campaign, fines up to 10,000 yuan ($1,400) were issued and contracts were forcibly revoked for those who repeatedly violated regulations.

Sun stressed that there is no live poultry in the market, which focuses on only domestic and imported aquaculture products.