Shoppers will not be allowed to make purchases if they do not wear masks, going by the standard operating procedure (SOP) issued for shops and other establishments by the State government on Saturday.

Persons with cough, cold or fever should not be allowed into a shop and all customers should clean their hands before entering and while leaving the shop with soap or hand sanitiser, according to a notification issued for COVID-19 containment by Chief Secretary K. Shanmugam.

“All persons should wear a face mask. Persons without a face mask shall not be allowed to buy goods,” it said, adding that all customers must wait at earmarked spots to maintain physical distancing.

Customers should not be allowed to touch anything in the shop “unnecessarily” and they should wash their hands again once they reach home.

Instructions to shopowners and workers include making markings to ensure mandatory two-metre distance between customers in the waiting area.

“At a time, only one person should be allowed to buy goods” and only four or five persons should be allowed to wait, it stated, and added that shops should leave all windows open for good cross ventilation.

Caution boards

All shops and establishments should display signage (with a minimum 3x3 ft) at the entrance, clearly indicating the importance of wearing masks, handwashing and physical distancing.

Floor, door handles, tables and door knobs should be disinfected with 1% hypochlorite solution (1 kg of bleaching powder in 30 litres of water) or 2.5% lysol (1 litre of lyson in 19 litres of water), at least 10 times a day.

The government has issued a separate SOP for customers, owners and workers in restaurants in the State.

Most provisions of the SOP were in line with the those issued by the Union Health Ministry.