Malls open to shut down as 2-dose norm pricks all

Nagpur: Soon after being allowed to remain open till 10pm, a number malls in the city have only shut down. The reason: A recent order restricts entry to only those having got both the doses of Covid vaccine, not less than 14 days ago. This is applicable to both staff and consumers.
This has led to a major impact on the malls as manpower in these establishments is mainly young. “The vaccination for 18 to 44 age group only began on June 21. A person who got the first dose on June 21 can get the second one only sometime in mid-September. This means, a mall employee cannot enter the premises till then, as even the 14-day period after vaccination has to be counted,” pointed out Dipen Agrawal, president of Sarkar Jagaon, Vanijya Bachao campaign by traders demanding opening up of businesses.
With a large number of staff yet to be vaccinated, majority of the malls have decided to rather shut down than face action by the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC).
The timing relaxation order came with the dictum that each one of the workers in a mall needed to be fully vaccinated.
The civic body had held a meeting of the mall management representatives and they were warned of action if the rule was not followed.
Major malls in the city include Eternity at Variety Square, Nagpur Central on Canal Road, Landmark in Ramdaspeth, Empress Mall near Shukrawari Lake and VR Mall near Medical Square.
Sources in the management of most of the establishments said they did not have enough staff who had got both the doses.
“We have nearly 500 workers in our establishment. Most of the employees are below 45 years, who have not been vaccinated as the drive itself started recently. Getting both the doses for each of them may be difficult. It’s tough to answer when our mall would start. It is hoped that some of the staff may be available by next month. Even individual shopkeepers need to get their staff vaccinated,” said an official in one of the older malls in West Nagpur, requesting not to be named.
Nagpur Central, whose management claims it is not technically a mall because of single-billing system, too has shut down.
A source here said there are over 280 employees in the mall, out of which only 30-odd have been fully vaccinated. Some more would be added by next month, after which the shops may open.
At Empress Mall, an official said almost 30% of the shops are open and staff in the rest is yet to be vaccinated. It has been learnt that a number of shops in VR Mall were also closed.
The NMC also runs a drive-in vaccination centre at these malls. There have been times when the doses were short, said sources here.
Agrawal added that their organization has been insisting that instead of full vaccination norm, those with single dose of jab should be allowed. “How can the government impose the vaccination norm if the drive was not completed yet,” he said.