Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 9

After 36 days, life in the city has started limping back to normalcy as the UT Administration has relaxed most restrictions imposed in view of a sharp rise in the number of Covid-19 cases.

The markets witnessed a slight increase in the number of customers after the Administration permitted shops and malls to open from 10 am to 6 pm and hotels and restaurants to allow dine-in with 50 per cent seating capacity. The city’s biggest Elante Mall also opened, but the footfall was far below what was witnessed during pre-Covid days. Shopkeepers were busy cleaning and sanitising their shops on the first day.

Low footfall at elante mall

The markets saw a slight increase in the number of customers after the UT permitted shops and malls to open from 10 am to 6 pm and hotels and restaurants to allow dine-in with 50 per cent seating capacity. Elante Mall also opened, but the footfall was far below pre-Covid days.

Sukhna Lake, the main attraction of the city, opened with morning walkers, but due to scorching heat, there were hardly any visitors during the daytime.

Welcoming the ‘balanced’ unlocking decision of the UT Administration, Ankit Gupta, president, Chandigarh Hospitality Association, said most of the outlets were in the process of reopening, while some opened today with 50 per cent capacity. Being the first day, the response was decent, he added.

Manmohan Singh, president, Hotels Association, said it would not only provide help to the food and beverage industry, but also boost the tourism sector.

Charanjiv Singh, president, Chandigarh Beopar Mandal, said opening of the markets on Saturday was a major relief for traders. He said they hoped the situation would return to normal in the coming days. Thanking the Administration allowing opening of shops, he said they could now recover the losses incurred during the lockdown period. He said they had cautioned all traders to strictly follow the Covid protocol for theirs as well as customers’ safety.