The Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan, capital of Central China's Hubei Province. Photos: CNS photo

 The government of Wuhan in Central China's Hubei Province is checking receipts and purchase documents of vendors at the Huanan Seafood Market, as the vendors demand compensation for their losses incurred from the closure of the market, where the earliest COVID-19 cases in China were reported.

It is part of a necessary procedure for the compensation of merchants in the market, and this requires documentation for their goods that were destroyed

An anonymous merchant said that his commodities, worth 3 million yuan ($450,000), were destroyed during the government's cleansing of the market, which he did not know until he saw the news.

Media reports said that government employees have been disinfecting the market since March, and the commodities left in the market were destroyed for fear that they might have been contaminated with the virus.

Lu Hui (pseudonym), a fishery vendor who used to operate in the wet market, said the government had agreed to offer compensation if merchants provide necessary paperwork such as purchase receipts for destroyed commodities, along with bank and mobile transfer records related to those purchases.

"Those procedures are to make sure the government is paying the amount it should pay. We also have photo and video records before and after we cleaned the market and destroyed commodities as proof … the government has set up a special investigation team to verify vendors' paperwork one by one," an employee at Wuhan's Jianghan district administration for industry and commerce told the Global Times.

The vendors said a big headache is that some of those commodities were purchased long ago, which makes it difficult to find the receipts. Lu said that some of his receipts were destroyed along with the goods.

"In this case, they should contact their suppliers to provide the documents," said the employee at the Jianghan district administration for industry and commerce.

Lu said the government's request for paperwork is reasonable, because "the government cannot just give us money for nothing."

"We are now contacting our suppliers, but some are not working during the pandemic," he said.

The government employee noted that merchants should relax. "This is a complicated matter that requires time to resolve. The government will surely get this straight properly."

"The problem is that we cannot afford to wait anymore. We have had no business for the past three months but we still have to pay rent and wages. What's worse, we don't even have the money to start new businesses," said Lu.

The government employee noted that merchants should relax. "This is a complicated matter that requires time to resolve. The government will surely get this straight properly.

"The problem is that we cannot afford to wait anymore. We have had no business for the past three months but we still have to pay rent and wages. What's worse, we don't even have the money to start new businesses, said Lu.