After 23 days, markets opened up as the government allowed them to operate between 9 am to 3 pm. The government has continued to implement partial lockdown till May 26th to curb the spread of the virus. However, in view of the demand from traders, the government has allowed them to open their shops but with strict implementation of Covid guidelines.
While some traders expressed satisfaction with the government’s decision to allow markets to remain open till 3 pm, some said that the real-time of business is in the evening. The traders also said people avoid coming out from their homes due to scorching heat and prefer to do shopping in the evening, so government should consider and give permission to open shops till 7 pm.
Notably, some businesses, including multiplex theaters and teaching classes, have not been exempted after the 23-day lockdown. They are also seeking to open their business. Fruit and Merchant Association Secretary Bharat Chauhan said the government had permitted the traders by allowing shops to open till 3 pm after a 23-day lockdown. But it is their demand to extend this time limit.
Paresh Parikh and Ramesh Patel, leaders of the Vadodara Trade Development Association, said the government has given permission to open shops from today till 3 pm., But it’s the demand of traders that time should be extended till 8 pm. In addition, due to the lockdown, the condition of traders has become dire, hence they will then approach the government for relief in GST, income tax, corporation tax, and others.
