Tirupati: Business hours of shops reduced drastically in temple city

Tirupati: With no respite in the Covid-19 cases which has been increasing rapidly in the pilgrim city, the authorities are planning to reduce the business hours of various establishments and also to drastically restrict public movement in the city to curb further spread of coronavirus.

The Police authorities sought the cooperation of the traders associations to see that all shops will shut down daily by 10 am drastically reducing the business hours.

The traders on their own have decided to reduce the business hours and limited it up to 2 pm daily after the rapid increase of Covid cases in the city which is now about 2,000 in Tirupati Urban area alone.

Now the traders have to further reduce the business hours and the timings should be from 6 and to 10 am. Sources said that police decided to close down all the entry points into the city except on the Tirumala Bypass Road and some select linking roads for the RTC buses to ply.

Meanwhile, the shops in the city were allowed to open only up to 10 am on Sunday following the Municipal Corporation Commissioner orders. The busy commercial areas looked deserted in the city with all shops are closed from 10 am in the morning.

Tirupati Chamber of Commerce president Manjunath said that the traders are prepared even for the total closure of the business in view of the pandemic. They also urged TTD to stop darshan in the shrine.