Shops in Ganjam to be open for 11 hours on weekdays

Berhampur: From Monday, traders in Ganjam district will be able to open their outlets from 5 am to 4 pm on weekdays by strictly following all Covid protocol. This will be followed by an 11-hour shutdown from 4 pm to 5 am.
The weekend shutdowns on Saturdays and Sundays would continue, district administration sources said, adding that the new order would be in force till August 31.
During this month, movement of people from urban to rural areas and vice-versa without sufficient reason will be restricted. Movement of people and goods to maintain supply chains will be allowed.
These steps have been taken at a time the number of Covid cases in the district touched 10,672, with the addition of 308 cases on Saturday. The death toll reached 99 with five more persons, including a woman, dying of the infection. Six people admitted to the Covid hospital here died of other reasons.
“Although the number of Covid cases is declining, the case load in Ganjam is higher compared to that in other districts. The month of August is very crucial for the district. After considering all aspects and consulting a cross-section of people, we have decided to continue with the weekend shutdowns and restrict movement for a month,” said collector Vijay Amruta Kulange.
“While we have allowed shopkeepers to open their outlets for a longer time in August, we have asked them to follow our ‘panchasutra’ or five-point strategy,” the collector said. The strategies are — putting up a barricade in front of shops, making provision for hand-washing of customers, wearing masks themselves and refuse to provide goods to customers not wearing masks, marking out circles in front of shops for customers to maintain social distance and maintaining a register of customers.
“Our squads will visit the shops frequently. If anyone is found deviating from the rules, action will be taken. A heavy penalty will be imposed upon the shopkeeper and the shop will be shut for a month,” he said.
Traders in Berhampur have asked the administration to allow movement of people from outside the district and rural areas to the markets here. “If people don’t come to the city, who will purchase the items?” wondered Ch. Rabindra Nath, president of Odisha Byabyasai Mahasangh. Berhampur is the wholesale hub of essential and non-essential commodities for the people of the entire southern Odisha belt. People from far-off places visit the city to buy goods, he said.