BHUBANESWAR: Rush returned to the Capital city with malls, hotels and restaurants reopening after a gap of three months on Monday. Traffic was chaotic as economic activities continued till 8 pm and beyond that in some places.
Due to weak enforcement, Covid norms went for a toss at many places. With the government allowing street food vendors to operate with on-spot eating, roadside eateries and food joints were crowded during evening hours. Commercial establishments in parts of Mancheswar, Saheed Nagar, Rasulgarh, Nayapalli, Raj Mahal were open till 9 pm flouting the curfew norms. The State government has allowed markets to remain open from 6 am to 8 pm every day.
Despite the government mandate, only malls and some restaurants asked people to produce the final dose vaccination certificate to enter into their facilities. At smaller hotels, owners paid little heed to the necessity of double dose certificates. “The business is already down due to the pandemic and dine-in service has resumed after a long gap. In such a situation, we cannot afford to lose our customers if they do not have vaccination certificates,” admitted the owner of a restaurant on Cuttack-Puri road.
Meanwhile, the Capital city reported 203 cases on the day, the lowest in the last one week. BMC officials said the commercial establishments including malls, hotels, restaurants as well as street vendors have been advised by the government to follow Covid appropriate behaviour and other guidelines. The enforcement activities will be intensified to ensure this, he added.