BARGARH: As Bargarh’s Paikmal witnesses a surge in Covid-19 cases in the last few weeks, the traders’ association along with local citizen forum have decided to voluntarily shut down the block for one week starting from Tuesday.
The decision was taken at a meeting in the Paikmal sub-collector’s office which was attended by members of both the associations in presence of block officials and local journalists. The shutdown will be imposed from Tuesday evening and continue till May 3.
During the period, all business establishments including grocery shops will remain closed to avoid crowds in marketplaces.
However, essential items including fruits, vegetables and milk will be available for two hours every day from 6 am to 8 am while medicine shops will remain open as usual. Both the associations will also conduct awareness across the block during the shutdown.
Paikmal sub-collector Tanmay Darwan said, “The merchant association and citizen forum have suo motu decided to call for the shutdown. They were asked to submit their decision in written to the block development officer. We agreed to their decision as the shutdown will help in controlling the virus from spreading.”
In the last 10 days, 195 cases have been reported from Paikmal block located along the Chhattisgarh border. Gouranga Charan Das, a local, said, “The Covid situation has become a cause of concern. Maximum number of cases are being reported from Temri and Jamseth villages. The outbreak can be contained only by restricting the movement of people. We are hopeful that the shutdown and awareness drives will improve the situation in the block.”
Incidentally, the trader association of Gaisilet has also imposed a shut down in the block from April 25 to 29. On Monday, Bargarh district reported 203 fresh Covid cases compared to 262 the previous day.