The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has decided to send three-member squads to check shops and markets, in an effort to crack down on commercial establishments that have not implemented preventive measures against coronavirus infection on their premises. “The civic body has allowed shops and markets to operate from 9 am to 7 pm with mandatory norms, such as customers should be allowed only if they are wearing face masks and they maintain social distance, the shop is sanitised frequently and the temperature of each customer is taken,” said Municipal Commissioner Vikram Kumar. “It has been observed that the rules are not being seriously implemented in commercial establishments and shops across the city. as a result, we are facing problems in containing the spread of the disease. Thus, it has become important to ensure effective implementation of rules,” he said. Kumar added, “A three-member squad of PMC has been appointed in each of the ward offices. it will frequently visit commercial establishments and shops. and submit a daily report.” In the last few weeks, PMC areas have seen a surge of new cases, with the positivity rate soaring to 29 per cent in a day. While the civic body has declared 74 containment zones in the city and barricaded them, this has not yielded the desired result as local residents continue to move in and out of containment zones depsite the restrictions. Meanwhile, many shopkeepers are reluctant to stop customers without masks from entering their shops, as they fear losing further business at a time when they hardly have any customers due to the pandemic and the lockdown.
