Hyderabad off to sluggish restart

HYDERABAD: Hyderabadis chose to stay at home on Monday even though most malls in the city finally opened up. The dismal crowd at shopping malls mainly consisted of youngsters between the age of 17 -- 25 wandering aimlessly without buying anything.  

However, many street food vendors, albeit not wearing gloves or masks, opened their stalls, attracting a large number of people. Supermarkets like DMart and Big Bazaar that had not been allowed to sell goods such as utensils, clothes and healthcare products during the lockdown also saw considerable footfall.

Speaking to Express, a security guard at Punjagutta Central Mall said, “Even on a normal weekday during peak evening hours, we would cater to 1,000-1,500 customers. Numbers climb on weekends. By 5 pm on Monday, we received only 75 customers.” Interestingly, the cashier at the same mall said that they had billed only four people since the mall opened in the morning.

The process of entering malls have also become quite cumbersome. If you have the Arogya Setu app, you will be required to show your e-pass, wear a mask, and undergo temperature screening and a full body disinfection. Many people who ended up going to the mall without the Arogya Setu app were not allowed to enter and chose to return home instead of downloading the app.

L&T’s Metro Malls went a step ahead to provide safety mechanisms for their security personnel, and has made makeshift cubicles for the personnel checking the temperature and the customer’s bags. Security personnel were also spotted helping various customers download the Arogya Setu app.

The electronics and home decor section in most of the malls saw some activity as people stocked up on utensils, kitchenware, and electronic goods.