The Chennai Corporation has announced that meat shops will remain closed on Monday, on account of Mahavir Jayanthi.
In a press release, the Corporation warned meat shop owners that their licences would be cancelled if they violate physical distancing norms.
On Friday, civic officials were planning to close all 2,800 meat shops for 10 days to prevent crowding at such shops. Later, the decision was shelved by senior officials.
According to Corporation officials, most meat shops are crowded, increasing the risk of COVID-19. “We have received complaints from people about crowding in meat shops. But we have not traced any contact of COVID-19 patient to the meat shops. So we decided to keep the shops open,” said an official.
The number of animals transported from Rajasthan and Maharashtra have reduced in the past few days. “The price of meat has also increased by 20%,” said a civic official.
On Thursday, just 130 animals were slaughtered for meat in Corporation facilities. Usually, the number of sheep and goats slaughtered in the city is around 2,000, every day. The number of animals slaughtered increases to 5,000 on Sundays, officials said.
