Markets in Karachi divided into 13 sectors for reopening during lockdown

The business activities in Karachi’s big markets have been divided into 13 different sectors for their reopening one after another on a rotational basis in different days during the COVID-19 lockdown, since the reopening of all shops at a time will be detrimental to the efforts in place to slowdown the local transmission of coronavirus.

The plan to divide markets in Karachi into 13 different sectors is part of the recommendations submitted to the Sindh chief minister on Sunday by a ministerial committee for devising a proper mechanism and standard operating procedures (SOPs) for reopening of the markets in the city in a gradual manner during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Sindh ministers Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, Saeed Ghani, Mukesh Kumar Chawla, and Imtiaz Shaikh are part of the ministerial committee, which held negotiations with the representatives of the small traders at the office of Karachi Commissioner for devising a consensus mechanism and SOPs for the reopening of the markets in the city during the COVID-19 lockdown.

The SOPs proposed by the ministerial committee takes into account the aspects of social distancing among the shoppers and employees of the markets in the city and also to ensure best hygienic conditions for them for their protection against the COVID-19 once the shops are reopened.

The shops will be opened on a rotational basis. All outlets associated with a particular sector of business in Karachi will open for a day in a coordinated manner.

According to Sindh Education and Labour Minister Saeed Ghani, the representatives of the small traders in the city had agreed to the recommendations of the provincial government that there should not be a full-fledged revival of the market activities.

He said the Sindh CM, after the evaluation and finalisation of the recommendations and SOPs proposed by the ministerial committee, would forward them to the prime minister for the final approval.

“It is our desire that a uniform set of SOPs and policy should be adopted for the revival of the market activities across the country during the COVID-19 lockdown as the prime minister himself should approve such a policy mechanism for the entire country,” he said.

He said the representatives of the small traders fully realises the gravity of the situation. The minister expressed gratitude to the small traders for keeping the markets in Karachi shut for one month due to the COVID-19 emergency.

He said the recommendations of the small traders would be taken into account for helping them to whatever extent it was feasible for the government for the revival of the business activities in the markets.

He said the provincial government had been utilising all available resources for the distribution of food rations among the needy families during the lockdown.