Bhubaneswar: The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), Saturday, urged the traders’ bodies and citizens to bring in behavioural changes and adhere to Unlock-3 guidelines issued by the state government to contain spread of infection.
Briefing the media after a meeting with the traders’ bodies, BMC Commissioner Prem Chandra Chaudhary asked the shopkeepers not to entertain a customer if he or she doesn’t obey the rules such as social distance or wearing mask.
“We also urge the citizens of Bhubaneswar to maintain social distancing and follow all Covid related guidelines. People should avoid going to markets regularly. A behavioural change is a must in terms of shopping, and online purchase of essentials should be prioritised. The danger still looms large and the only way of breaking the spread of chain is avoiding physical touch and overcrowding,” he added.
Meanwhile, the market association representatives have welcomed the decisions and measures suggested by BMC to ensure strict compliance of Covid-19 guidelines in their respective areas. They also talked about the issues they are facing.
“The meeting was really good and extremely important. We have told the shopkeepers to strictly follow the rules as advised by BMC today. We will implement ‘no masks, no goods’ and ‘no social distancing, no goods’ in our market,” said Gayadhara Swain, president of Unit – 1 Market Association.
He also urged the BMC officials to impose heavy penalty on some unruly customers who never follow rules despite repeated warnings.