The Uttarakhand government on Thursday decided to let the shops selling essentials in the state to stay open for six hours instead of three to stop overcrowding in market places.
Shops selling essential articles will remain open from 7 am to 1 pm instead of just three hours till 10 am to ensure better compliance of social distancing norms which alone can curb the coronavirus spread, officials here said.
Opening shops for just three hours in the morning was leading to overcrowding at market places, they said.
Vegetables, fruits and milk will remain available all day and vegetable vendors can go from door to door, they said.