Coimbatore district administration has allowed stalls selling chicken, mutton, beef and pork to function from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. from Thursday.
According to District Collector K. Rajamani, meat stalls should ensure physical distancing by customers. Shops where customers do not maintain physical distancing will be sealed, he said.
Officials from civic bodies will monitor the functioning of meat stalls. They will check whether shop owners ensure physical distancing by customers or whether shops function beyond 1 p.m. Meat stalls were allowed to function last on April 12 on the occasion of Easter.
Civic bodies took action against several stalls that were found selling meat from April 13.
According to the Collector, fish stalls were not allowed to function.
Special Correspondent adds:
Broiler wholesale traders said that following the orders from the Collector, 20 % of the vehicles transported broilers to the retail outlets on Wednesday night. From Thursday night all the vehicles will operate, moving broiler to the retailers. Instructions have been given to all the retailers to ensure personal distancing and to keep the meat ready in packets so that customers do not have to wait. If they fail to do so, the wholesalers plan to take up and run the outlets.