Malls, shrines reopen; employees return to work
NEW DELHI: India on Monday took a tentative step out of a 75-day lockdown with malls, religious places and offices opening in several parts of the country but with strict riders limiting the number of people and mandating sanitisation of the premises.
Heralding a new era of shopping, working and worshipping in a society battling rising COVID-19 cases, the extensive dos and don’ts framework included sanitisation tunnels, temperature checks, entry on the basis of tokens, no ‘prasad’ and no trying out clothes either.
As the number of cases crossed 2,56,000, the country made a calibrated exit from the lockdown in non-containment zones, shop shutters in many malls went up for the first time since March 25 but the sprawling retail places were eerily empty.
In Delhi, for instance, shop assistants arranged shelves and placed mannequins outside but only a few braved the pandemic scare to venture into the mall.
Some restaurants opened but waiters were in face shields and the customers, at tables placed a safe distance from each other, in masks. The buzzword was ‘contactless’, not just in shops and restaurants, where digital menus replaced hard copies in some places, but also in places of worship. The Union Culture Ministry has also approved the opening of 820 centrally-protected monuments under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
Gurdwaras, temples, mosques and churches opened their doors in several parts of the country but the entry of devotees was restricted in keeping with social distancing norms. While Maharashtra and
Tamil Nadu, for instance, decided to keep malls and places of worship closed, some states decided to relax restrictions and welcome people back in.
The Chhattarpur temple complex in Delhi, the Lord Venkateswara temple in Hyderabad, the Mahavir Mandir in Patna, the Sri Rama temple in Bhadrachalam and the Mookambika temple in Udupi were among the several temples that opened their doors.
Besides, Ram Janmabhoomi temple in Ayodhya, the Delhi Jama Masjid and Amritsar’s Golden Temple also welcomed devotees.
Gurdwaras opened, too, but it was far from normal. Though there were some devotees, the usual buzz around the ‘sarovar’, pond, at the Bangla Sahib was missing and the place was deserted.
In Karnataka, too, places of worship, hotels and restaurants opened for public in Bengaluru but within the norms specified by the Centre.
There were other restrictions as well. Limited number of devotees were allowed at a time with socialdistancing norms in place. Several mosque managements said they are not providing ‘namaz’ mats and water for ablution at the premises. Some also requested devotees to offer prayers at their homes.
In Bengal, shopping malls, restaurants and other establishments reopened to a cautious welcome too.
People came out on the streets of Kolkata in large numbers. Traffic snarls were reported from several areas as government offices started operating with 70 per cent attendance and most private offices and establishments recommenced near-normal functioning.
‘Mission Begin Again’ took off in Maharashtra, where the number of cases has crossed 85,000 with more than 3,000 deaths, in a truncated form without malls or religious places but with offices and several shops back in business.