Srinagar traders hail virus-testing move

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, September 13

Traders have welcomed the move of conducting Covid tests for shopkeepers in various parts of the city and asked the government to expand the scope of testing that will pave the way for complete reopening of markets.

“The Srinagar Administration has launched a comprehensive campaign to conduct these tests. We welcome the move for conducting the tests for shopkeepers and traders. This initiative will create a sense of security among them and consumers. If this initiative had been launched earlier, it would have yielded significant results by now. And this would have also been helpful in preventing the spread of the virus. It is still not too late, but if the scope of these tests is seriously expanded, it will be helpful,” said Kashmir Trade Alliance (KTA) president Ajaz Shahdhar.

He said the government should now order complete reopening of shops at marketplaces where tests have been conducted.

“We hope that the divisional administration will reconsider its policy of reopening shops and businesses only on alternative days, so that the traders and business community can recover the damage incurred in the past six months. The shopkeepers have been tested for the virus, there is no reason to keep these markets closed on alternative days. The government should allow us to continue trading in these markets for the entire week,” Shahdhar said.

City markets had reopened on a rotation basis from August 17 last month. Earlier, the markets had opened on a rotation basis after 85 days of the Covid lockdown on June 13. However, the lockdown in the Valley was reimposed from July 13 after a spike in positive cases.