Markets in Delhi may soon shut down once more, given the rapidly rising cases of COVID-19 here, traders’ body Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) said on Friday. The current situation and the projection that the number of cases may hit 5.32 lakh by the end of July have left traders scared, CAIT said. Earlier, members of the Sarojini Nagar Mini Market Association had said that given the rising numbers of cases and the lack of business, the market would be shut from June 15 to June 30. The traders’ body also started an online survey among leading trade organisations in Delhi to take a call on the issue.

Results of the survey would be used to hold discussions with the government, CAIT secretary general, Praveen Khandelwal said. Our intent is to cooperate with the efforts of the government to curb COVID-19 cases in Delhi, said Mr. Khandelwal.

While shops here have opened, CAIT said that business was only about five to ten per cent. Mr. Khandelwal added: “In wholesale markets, customers from outside Delhi are not coming, whereas in the retail markets, local customers are not coming at all, which is directly due to the fear of pandemic….CAIT will hold a videoconference with the leading traders of Delhi tomorrow [Saturday] and take a final decision regarding the markets closure on the basis of consensus.”