Ahmedabad: Shops selling essential items to reopen from Friday

Over a week after the shops

selling essential commodities, like vegetables and grocery, were shut in Ahmedabad city of Gujarat to curb the spread of coronavirus, these outlets will reopen from Friday, officials said.

The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) had ordered closure of all the shops, except those providing milk and medicines, from May 7 till May 15.

Additional Chief Secretary Rajiv Gupta, who is overseeing the works related to COVID-19 in Ahmedabad, said after reviewing the situation that shops selling essential items, such as grocery, vegetables and fruits, will remain open between 8 am and 3 pm from May 15.

"We have already screened 17,000 vendors and issued health cards to them. To maintain social distancing and avoid overcrowding, we want women to come out for shopping between 8 am and 11 am. Men should come out after 11 am. People must wear mask while stepping out," Gupta said.

 

Barring six major cities, including Ahmedabad, and as many municipalities, shops, markets and other commercial and industrial establishments in Gujarat had opened on May 4 as per specific relaxations.

Since coronavirus cases were on the rise in the city, the Ahmedabad civic body had decided not give such relaxations at that time.

The AMC had even gone a step further and ordered the closure of shops selling vegetables and grocery till mid-May.

Of the total 9,268 COVID-19 cases reported in Gujarat so far, as many as 6,523 cases were from Ahmedabad city alone.