Coronavirus fears: In Delhi, malls deserted, cinema halls shut

New Delhi: This Friday was unlike the usual weekends when movie buffs lined up outside movie theatres to watch the first shows of the latest release. As fears of

New Delhi: This Friday was unlike the usual weekends when movie buffs lined up outside movie theatres to watch the first shows of the latest release. As fears of the novel coronavirus kept people to their homes, corridors of popular shopping malls bore a deserted look, movie theaters downed their shutters and salespersons were seen scanning the entrances of showrooms, hoping customers to show up.

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The Delhi government on Thursday declared the coronavirus (Covid-19) as an epidemic and decided to shut down cinema halls, schools and colleges till March 31 in the national capital as a precautionary measure.

Officials of V3S Mall in Laxmi Nagar said footfall has been hit ever since the city saw its first confirmation of Covid-19. “People are taking precautions and footfall has declined in the last 10-15 days. But the footfall remains. It had been decent on the weekends with many visits to watch movies. We will analyse the impact of closure of cinema halls on the footfall throughout this weekend,” an official said.

However, officials at some other malls said it was too early to predict the impact of coronavirus fears on footfall. At south Delhi’s Select Citywalk Mall, officials said so far there has been no significant change reported on the footfall. “It is too early to comment on footfall. As of now, there has been no significant change. The normal footfall on a daily basis is about 30,000 to 35,000 on an average, and on weekdays it is between 45,000 to 50,000,” said the official.

The Delhi government on Thursday made it mandatory for all public and private offices and shopping malls to disinfect their establishments every day. In almost all malls, hand sanitizers are being placed everywhere and posters and banners with awareness messages about the novel coronavirus are being put up. “Our housekeeping staff has been guided to wipe door handles, escalator belts, lift handrails, lift buttons, WC seat covers and faucets at increased frequency and hourly mopping with disinfectant. A communication has been sent to retailers in the shopping centre to keep hand sanitisers at the store’s entrance so that people entering the store sanitise their hands,” the Select Citywalk mall said in a statement.