Paan shops in Ahmedabad to stay shut over weekends

AHMEDABAD: Many paan shops across the city will stay shut over the weekends till April 30. The decision was taken by the Gujarat Paan Masala Shop Owners’ Association, late on Friday, due to the increasing number of Covid-19 cases in the city.
The city reported 1,296 fresh cases of Covid-19 on Friday. “To ensure that people don’t crowd near shops and establishments, we’ve decided to keep our shops shut over the weekends throughout April,” said Sanjay Joshi, president, Gujarat Paan Masala Shop Owners’ Association.
Following the announcement, many shops ran out of cigarettes as citizens began buying in bulk.Crowds were seen at some paan shops in Navrangpura, Prahladnagar, Vejalpur and Satellite areas of the city.
Last year, ahead of the lockdown, the state government had ordered the shutting of paan shops and imposed restrictions on the number of people at shops.