Garment and footwear shops reopen in Jamshedpur, shoppers step out to finish pending chores

Jamshedpur, June 19: After three months of lockdown, garment and footwear shops reopened their shutters on Friday morning. Happy faces were visible with the start of the day. Many shoppers were seen heading to markets on Friday morning because of the easing of lockdown restrictions, as they were keen to finish their pending chores.

Shops selling garments, hosiery items, bed sheets, curtains, kitchenware, confectionaries, etc., will remain opened at 9am.

In the city�s containment zones, all shops are closed except some grocery stores that are allowed to remain open up to 1pm. No crowd could be seen in these areas, where roads, too, have been barricaded to ensure restrictions in movement.

Shoppers appeared relieved with the opening up of economic activities. �I�ve been wanting to buy a shirt and jeans for the past three months,� said a shopper at a Sakchi store.

Shopkeepers are relieved with the state government�s move to open up economic activities amid the easing of lockdown restrictions. �Business had come to a standstill for the past two months. I�m not expecting many customers right away. But, I hope sales will improve gradually,� said a shopkeeper, who sells hosiery items Bistupur.

The Jamshedpur Notified Area Committee authorities are keeping a strict watch on whether the shopkeepers are following the standard operating procedures while doing business.

�All the civic bodies have been asked to form teams and check on shops if they�re following social distancing norms and other safety measures such as wearing face masks to contain the spread of Covid-19. Shops will be shut down immediately if they are found to be violating these rules,� said an official.

The State Government has ordered: �Shops selling clothes/readymade garments/hosiery in urban areas of district headquarters are permitted to open. Shops selling footwear in urban areas of district headquarters will also function. These will be effective from June 19�.