Following the recent ease on the lockdown restrictions, the city is slowly prepping to get back on track. After wearing a deserted look for over two months, the two sought after shopping
markets
—
Itwari
and
Sitabuldi
— reopened albeit with a slew of restrictions. Once the busiest lanes of the city, these places are witnessing moderate footfall, but shopkeepers claim that it is enough to bring a ray of hope for their businesses.
Safety
and social distancing norms are being strictly followed and caution has become a buzzword at these shopping hubs.
Better safe than sorry!Since June 5, shops have been functioning on an odd-even basis. Many small and big shop owners are swearing by safety measures such as frequent sanitisation of the premises, thermal screening at the entrance and social distancing. Lala Sawarkar, who owns a jewellery shop at Itwari, said, “Along with customers, even the shop's employees have to go through thermal screening at the entrance. A few days before the unlock phase began, we had a briefing session about the sanitisation and safety measures with our staff members. We are happy to finally resume business.”
Minhaz Raza, who has set up a roadside cloth stall at Sitabuldi, shared, “The unlock phase has brought us a lot of relief. At the same time, we have to do everything possible to minimise the risk of infection. We are constantly wearing our masks and maintaining a considerable physical distance from the buyers.”
Strict
approachClearly, the shop owners are being extra cautious and are in no mood to tolerate negligence. “We have drawn circles outside our shops for social distancing. We are disinfecting our products before and after showing them to customers. Those who refuse to wear masks are not allowed inside the shop,” stated Jatin Rao, the owner of a mobile shop in Modi no 3.
Rajesh Agrawal, owner of a general goods and stationary store, added, “We are requesting our customers to download the Aarogya Setu App on their mobiles. For those who have extremely basic phones and are unable to download this app we are handing over their stuff to them at the entrance of the shop. Right now, we are getting only about five customers a day but expect more footfall in the coming weeks.”
Customers delighted tooDeeksha Wankhede, who visited the market to buy toe rings, said, “My cousin’s wedding is round the corner and we were thinking of buying toe rings for her. But we were doubtful because the shops were closed. Thankfully, they opened right on time. That said, I didn’t spend much time in the shop. Just bought the rings and left so that others could shop quickly too.”
Word of CautionCaution boards and standees mentioning social distancing norms have been put up outside quite a few shops. Parv Gupta, who owns a utensils shop at Bartan Oli, has put up a board requesting people not to spit. “‘No spitting’ is one of the most important rules along with social distancing and wearing masks. It’s high time people realise this,” says Parv.
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