Coronavirus lockdown: Confederation of All India Traders asks shopkeepers to wait for state governments to take decision on opening shops
25 April, 2020 | Priyanka Sharma
Coronavirus India: Shops across India, barring those in multi-brand and single-brand malls, have been permitted to open amid coronavirus lockdown.
After the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) exempted all shops under the Shops and Establishment Act from revised consolidated lockdown restrictions, Praveen Khandelwal, National General Secretary of Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) on Saturday said that people should wait for the state governments to take a decision in this regard.
“I want to thank PM Modi for allowing to open shops across the country. The Home Ministry has given the responsibility to state governments. We have to wait for the state government to take a decision on this. But I think state governments will take a decision,” Khandelwal told ANI. “Whenever the shops will be opened, people should sanitise shops and markets first. Masks, gloves and sanitisers should be used. Shopkeepers should also ensure social distancing,” he said.
In an order on Friday, the MHA exempted all shops under the Shops and Establishment Act, including shops in residential complexes and market complexes, from revised consolidated lockdown restrictions. However, the relaxations are not applicable in hotspots and containment zones.
“All shops registered under the Shops and Establishment Act of the respective State/Union Territory, including shops in residential complexes and market complexes, except shops in multi-brand and single-brand malls, outside the limits of municipal corporations and municipalities, with 50 per cent strength of workers with wearing of masks and social distancing being mandatory,” reads the MHA order.
Also Read: Coronavirus update: Total cases in India nears 25000, toll at 775
“All shops, including neighbourhood shops and standalone shops, shops in residential complexes, within the limits of municipal corporations and municipalities, registered under the Shops and Establishment Act of the respective State and Union Territory, except shops in market complexes and multi-brand and single-brand malls, with 50 per cent strength of workers with wearing of masks and social distancing being mandatory,” it said.
Delhi: Hardware shops in Laxmi Nagar open after about a month into #CoronaLockdown. All shops registered under Shops&Establishment Act of respective States/UTs, incl shops in residential complexes, neighborhood&standalone shops have now been exempted from lockdown restrictions. pic.twitter.com/w8CLjREB2l
— ANI (@ANI) April 25, 2020
Mumbai: Customers throng grocery stores in Kurla area to make purchases. MHA has exempted all shops under Shops&Establishment Act of States/UTs,except shops in multi-brand&single-brand malls,outside limits of Municipal Corporations from revised consolidated lockdown restrictions. pic.twitter.com/vufYsWJ42c
— ANI (@ANI) April 25, 2020
Relaxations not applicable in Hotspots/containment zones: Ministry of Home Affairs https://t.co/847u21F5D8
— ANI (@ANI) April 24, 2020
Last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced a 21-day nationwide lockdown as a precautionary measure to contain the spread of COVID-19. The lockdown was later extended till May 3. India’s total number of coronavirus positive cases has climbed to 24,506 including 18,668 active cases, 5,063 cured/discharged/migrated and 775 deaths, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said today.