Nearly 50% cases among traders, Kashi market timings unchanged

Varanasi: After review of Covid-19 spread and the surge in cases and casualties, the district administration has retained the restrictions on market opening and traffic movement in the city.
Traders, their employees and customers still constitute the biggest chunk of Covid-19 cases and casualties, but salaried people, students and children have also tested positive for the coronavirus infection in the last 10 days, said officials.
The district administration hence decided not to effect any change in market timings and traffic curbs. All markets will open from 9am till 5pm and no traffic will be permitted on roads between 6pm and 5am.
Traders had been keenly expecting a revised schedule for markets from Monday and were curiously waiting for announcement of a new schedule by district administration since Sunday.
Their hopes were dashed when district magistrate Kaushal Raj Sharma did not make any change in market timings and traffic movement.
Sharma said the district administration went through occupation-wise data of Covid-19 positive cases and fatalities and found traders and people infected after market visits constituted around 50% of all cases.
“Social distancing is not being followed strictly in markets and people are not wearing masks, and that is why infection is spreading among traders, their employees and people visiting markets. There was no scope for administration to increase market timings and we decided to continue the curbs,” he added.
Most infected traders hail from Lanka, Cantt, Sigra, Manduadih, Bhelupur, Chowk Kotwali and Chetganj, said officials.
The occupation-wise data released by the administration revealed that the highest number of cases were from trading community since the reopening of markets in May, though cases are also rising among salaried people, students, children and pensioners.
In the last 10 days, from August 6 to 15, the number of infected traders increased from 1,882 to 2,460, an addition of 578 new patients.
The number of salaried people found infected jumped from 411 to 992 in this period. Similarly, only 99 students were infected till August 6, but the number rose to 274 in the past 10 days. From Covid-19 outbreak in Varanasi till August 6, only 17 children were found infected, but the number rose to 113 on August 15, while cases are also being detected among housewives and senior citizens.
The administration has appealed to the traders’ union to ensure strict compliance of social distancing and other Covid protocol.
The DM asked traders’ association to set up committees to ensure closure of shops where norms are violated, besides ensuring regular health check-up, testing in case of any symptom and informing health and district administration officials.
Officials also appealed them to take preventive medicines like ivermectin.