SMC teams seal shops for Covid rules violations on Wednesday
Surat: The traders and wholesalers associations have agreed to restrict working hours for the shops and establishments from 8am to 6pm.
The decision came after the Confederation of All India Traders’ (CAIT) office-bearers held a meeting with the traders and wholesalers associations in the city on Wednesday.
Various traders and merchants including stationery merchants, FMCG dealers and distributors, edible oil merchants, ceramic association, electrical merchants etc. have agreed to cut down the operational timings of their shops.
Pramod Bhagat, president of CAIT Gujarat chapter told TOI, “To prevent people from gathering at the shops, we had called upon the traders and wholesalers to reduce their operational timings.”
Bhagat added, “The coronavirus infection has hit the trader community hard as they are the first point of contact with many customers. Many of our traders have tested positive and some have also died. We can’t keep the shops and establishments open until late evening hours thereby risking the safety of our families.”
The total Covid-19 cases in Surat crossed 6,000 mark with an average of 200 people testing positive for the virus every day since July 1.
Falgun Mehta, president of Association of Surat Wholesale FMCG dealers and distributors told TOI, “All our member distributors and dealers have unanimously decided to operate from 9am to 3 pm till July 27.”
Sanjay Patel, president of Surat Stationery Merchants’ Association said, “All the stationery shops in the city will remain open from 9am to 5pm and members have been asked to strictly following the guidelines for their own safety.”
