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Lucknow’s malls, restaurants re-open to limited crowds
LUCKNOW Malls and restaurants in Lucknow reopened with 50% occupancy on Monday after a closure of almost two months that was initiated in April in wake of the second wave of Covid
LUCKNOW Malls and restaurants in Lucknow reopened with 50% occupancy on Monday after a closure of almost two months that was initiated in April in wake of the second wave of Covid. With the state government announcing relaxations in the Covid Curfew guidelines, night curfew will now be effective from 9pm to 7am.
Though only a few people turned up at malls, they welcomed the move, saying “it’s like heading back to normal.”
“We are here just to get the feel of being alive and make small purchases. It’s been nearly two months since we last visited a mall,” said Nitin Gupta, a college-goer.
Swati Bajpai, another visitor to a mall in Gomti Nagar, said: “One cannot imagine life without malls. I am glad that these establishments have re-opened. I request people to follow strict Covid protocols in order to minimise the risk of getting infected.”
“As we are re-opening after a long time, we are busy re-stocking things and making arrangements. On the first day, we witnessed lower footfall. But, we expect it to increase in days to come,” said an official with the mall.
District magistrate Abhishek Prakash also inspected the mall to ensure that Covid protocols were being followed. “It was found that Covid protocols were followed. The Covid help desk was in place, the place was sanitised and social distancing was being followed,” said the DM. He also directed the mall management not to give entry to people without mask and to maintain the details of the visitors.
In the lockdown last year, malls remained closed for around 75 days following Covid-19 outbreak.
Similarly, restaurants too resumed services at 50% capacity. “It’s a big relief to us as we suffered huge losses in the last two months,” said a restaurateur.
The day also brought relief to the traders as the district administration allowed relaxations in night curfew. Initially, the Covid Curfew was from 7pm to 6am whereas now the shops are allowed to open till 9pm.
“It is a big relief to us. People generally have a tendency to shop during the evening hours. There was very little business earlier due to the Covid curfew starting at 7pm. Now, as there is a two-hour relaxation in the night curfew, people have a longer time to shop,” said Suresh Chablani, convener of Akhil Bharatiya Udyog Vyapar Mandal, Lucknow.
