Life and businesses started limping back to normalcy after the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions were eased in most parts of the city from Monday barring the 21 containment zones.
Most shops and commercial establishments opened their shutters. But hotels, malls, cinema halls, markets and barber shops remained closed.
As the police had permitted free movement of vehicles without pass from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., a large number of vehicles hit the roads due to which traffic snarls were witnessed in parts of the city. A few flyovers, including Mysuru Road Flyover and Anand Rao Circle Flyover, were opened vehicles, resulting in slow moving traffic in and around their vicinity.
Highways such as Old Madras Road and Tumakuru Road drew a large number of vehicles as inter-district passes were not required for movement of people in cluster of five districts around Bengaluru. People were seen travelling to and from Nelamangala and Hoskote in Bengaluru Rural district and Kolar district via Tumakuru Road and Old Madras Road highway.
Chickpet sees activity
Chickpet, one of the most important trading areas in the city, saw some activity as many cloth, readymade garment, and book shops were opened, but did not see much business. “Pending works like stock checking, cleaning and accounting are being carried out. We hope to see some business in the coming days,” said Sajjan Raj Mehta, a trader.
Though many jewellery shops across city opened, they don’t expect business to pick up any time soon. Dinesh Pagariya of The Jewellers Association said that jewellers, goldsmiths, and others in the chain of business were looking at a bleak six to 12 months ahead. “As we are the last category on which people spend, it will take a long time for our business to come back to normalcy,” he said.
Offices still cautious
Many workplaces remained closed and employees of various firms continued to work from home, as employers and companies remained cautious. Many companies have adopted a wait-and-watch policy and have asked employees to continue to work from home until further notice.
An Indian multi-national company, with offices in Mumbai and Bengaluru, has cut down travel budgets and asked its employees to work from home. An employee of the company, who wished to remain anonymous, said employees, especially those with children below the age of five and elderly parents, had been asked to not travel and work from home until intimated otherwise.
With the BBMP also allowing construction activities in wards that have not reported cases of COVID-19, some developers are likely to resume work shortly.