Bhubaneswar steps out to shop, with checks in place
Salespersons wait for customers at a city mall on Thursday
BHUBANESWAR: The city on Thursday saw more people stepping out cautiously to go shopping for non-essentials after a gap of nearly four months. Residents visited shopping malls and markets here, albeit in much reduced numbers as compared to pre-Covid.
With malls and markets allowed to stay open till 9 pm, several residents chose to indulge in some much-needed retail therapy to shrug off worries about the future. Businesspersons too expressed happiness over people showing an interest in purchasing goods, especially FMCG products. Most shops are following safety norms to the tee, and are asking their customers to do the same.
“It is a great relief to come out of the house after almost four months. So long, I would just step out to buy essentials from the shops near my home. There are many things that I had to buy during the lockdown, but I could not. On Thursday, I took all precautions while venturing out,” said Nilima Panda, a housewife whose shopping list had cosmetics, slippers and daily-wear garments for kids.
Retailers and shops in malls are looking forward to improved sales. “The pandemic really hit us hard. It was very important that the markets opened. Since the day the markets reopened on August 2, the footfall of customers has increased, although it is well below what it used to be before the virus outbreak. Still, it gives us confidence that the situation may return to normal sooner than we think. We are learning to live with the coronavirus,” said Sheikh Aslam, a shoe shop owner at a city mall.
Aslam said he was following all guidelines while receiving shoppers, including thermal-checking them, giving them hand sanitiser and ensuring they wear masks.
Since the number of Covid-19 cases are rising in the city, providing a safe and hygienic shopping experience has been the focus of the malls. “We are adhering to the SOP circulated by the ministry of home affairs and the Shopping Centre Association of India. All customers, retailers, and staff are being monitored to ensure they adhere to hygiene norms heightened at every touchpoint inside the mall premises. We are completely dedicated to providing a healthy shopping experience to our patrons and will ensure that we deliver this promise flawlessly,” Parth Nayak, centre director of a city mall, said.
Parks and tourist spots like Khandagiri and Udaygiri caves and Rajarani temple have also reopened, although footfall remains negligible. “We are following all safety procedures while allowing visitors in. There is provision of e-ticket and QR code to ensure minimum contact,” said superintendent of ASI, Odisha circle, Arun Mallik.
He said 32 non-living monuments had been allowed to reopen in the state while the decision on reopening of the Konark temple and other living monuments would be taken after August 31.