Traders down shutters at 6 pm in Vijayawada
The busy Besant Road wears a deserted look after shopkeepers closed their shops by 6 pm in Vijayawada on Monday following the Covid 19 spread Photo: Y Vinay Kumar
Vijayawada: Traders of different areas responded differently in the city to the announcement made by the Vijayawada Chamber of Commerce and Industry to close down the shops by 6 pm from Monday onwards in view of the increasing Covid cases in the city and the State.
More than 90 per cent traders in Beasant Road closed shops by 6 pm as per the call given by Chamber of Commerce, which is the association of more than 100 trade bodies. The police swung into action by 5 pm and warned the traders to down the shutters by 6 pm. Consequently, the traders responded positively.
Textile showrooms, footwear shops, fancy shops, grocery shops, bakeries and other shops in Beasant Road were closed.
The chamber took the decision to check the spread of coronavirus. During the day time, the people are not coming out of homes due to scorching heat and high temperature. In summer, most people come out of houses in the evening and gathering is more in the shops, shopping malls, super markets and other public places.
Early closure of shops may be effective in checking the spread of the coronavirus, which is rampant in the city. On the other hand, traders in Gandhi Nagar, Governor Pet, Eluru road, MG Road, Satyanarayanapuram, Kedareswara Peta, Krishna Lanka and other areas in the city did not respond to the appeal made by the chamber.
Some traders did not respond to the call given by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry. In Bhavanipuram, the wholesale traders did not close the shops as per the call given by Chamber.
Thousands of people work in the wholesale shops, stockists, distributors in Gollapudi. These workers are vulnerable to Covid because loading and unloading of stocks take place in the big market.
Some traders openly say that the government must take tough stand to close shops as early as possible to check the spread of Corona virus.
If the shops are closed early, the traders and workers may go home early and take precautions like taking steam or drinking hot water as suggested by the doctors to weaken the virus or kill the virus.