HYDERABAD: Life returned to several markets, bazaars and commercial lanes in different districts of Sindh during day time though some specified businesses have not been allowed to open under the Sindh government’s revised policy to relax the crippling lockdown enforced across Sindh to stem Covid-19 outbreak.

The relaxation has been effected under mounting pressure from businessmen, traders and retailers as well as a huge number of industrial, agricultural and other workers who have lost their livelihood to the lockdown.

Trade activities seem to have picked up in some markets of Hyderabad following issuance of successive notifications by the Sindh government regarding a limited relexation being extended to specified businesses.

The Market Tower attracted a considerable number of customers on Sunday when shops that had remained shut over the last two weeks were reopened.

Hyderabad Commiss­ioner had on April 18 laid down guidelines for the outlets like bakeries, restaurants and tandoors to resume their businesses but only from 8am to 5pm as per the provincial government’s directives.

They are required to restrict their business to home deliveries alone and not to offer dining at their outlets.

Mechanics have also started working at their shops in some areas.

However, cloth merchants were seen present outside their shuttered outlets in anticipation of being allowed to reopen them.

Hyderabad Deputy Com­mi­ssioner Fuad Ghaffar Soo­mro on Sunday told businessmen, traders and shopkeepers to provide details of their respective businesses so that a policy could be evolved to allow them to resume their activities. Presiding over a meeting of revenue and other officials at Shahbaz Hall, he hinted that some markets could be allowed to reopen one day or two days a week, making it clear that all commercial areas could not be allowed to reopen simultaneously because the outbreak situation could worsen in that case.

Representatives of various trade organisations also attended the meeting that discussed a code of conduct for the restoration of business activities in the district.

The DC called for consensus proposals so that businessmen and traders could resume their activities by strictly following the guidelines to be issued by the authorities concerned. The DC said that although the outbreak was well under control in this district, the business and trade community should extend their cooperation to the district administration in its efforts towards safeguarding people’s life and health.

He asked members of the community to follow all government directives pertaining to the measures like social distancing, wearing masks and discouraging assembly of many people at markets, bazaars, malls, supermarkets and other such places, etc.

The representatives assured the DC of their full cooperation in this regard.

DADU: The A-Section police on Sunday prevented shopkeepers to open their outlets by launching a crackdown in the Station Road, Shahi Bazaar, New Chowk, Old Chowk, Chandni Chowk, Girls College road, Girls High School road, Cinema Road and New Bus Stand road areas. They picked up 20 shopkeepers and 10 other people for violating Section 144 of the CrPC but let them off after keeping them at the police station for a few hours.

SHO Shafi Mohammad Golo told local reporters that they were warned against such violations again.

Published in Dawn, April 20th, 2020