Hyderabad: In order to curb the spread of COVID-19, traders in the city are considering the option to a self-imposed lockdown soon. Some of the traders have already closed their shops and decided to resume the business only after normalcy prevails in the city.
Traders across the city felt that say that it is better to close shops and stay at home as the cost of COVID-19 treatment is more than the income generated from the business itself. They feel that a few weeks or a few months of loss is better than incurring heavy hospital bills. A trader from the Malakpet area said it is better to close down the business rather than waiting for a “tragedy to happen”. Similar views were also expressed by other traders.
However, this is not currently happening across town, as many of the shops and establishments are running normally. But it may be noted that city streets are currently running empty, to the point where traffic is minimal, and one is able to commute from one end of the city to another in 30 minutes or so.
Prior to this, the Hyderabad Kirana Merchant’s association announced that it would have a self-imposed shutdown at the Begum Bazar market from 5 p.m. daily in view of increasing COVID-19 cases. However, then in April, most of the traders barely paid any heed to the association’s call, as the prospects of hurting one’s business was not exactly enticing.
As of now, the situation in Telangana has sort of stabilized, with the state reporting about 5000 – 6000 new COVID-19 cases a day. While it is not less, it has sort of plateaued. The Telangana government, led by chief minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, has on more than one occasion clarified that it will not impose a full lockdown. As of now, the night curfew has been extended in the city till May 15.