THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Shop owners in the capital city have questioned the efficacy of the government’s decision to close down shops for containing the Covid-19 spread. They have also expressed their anguish at the extension of lockdown in the capital.
A section of Kerala Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samithi (KVVES) pointed out that the community transmission in the capital is still on the rise even after the authorities declared lockdown and triple lockdown.
“The authorities are not addressing the problem. They are only focusing on closing down shops as a containment strategy,” said state senior vice-president of KVVES Kamalayam Suku. According to him, major cities in the world have discarded this strategy as it was not effective.
“The pandemic can be controlled only if people become more vigilant and the authorities give them more time for shopping,” said district general secretary of KVVES S S Manoj. The merchants have incurred a huge loss due to closure of shops.
At present, only shops selling essential items are allowed to open in a specific time period in Thiruvananthapuram. The restrictions are stringent in critical containment zones.