With the spurt in the coronavirus infections, the Association of Traders and Businessmen in the old town area of Anantapur and in Dharmavaram voluntarily decided at a meeting on Thursday night to down their shutters from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. every day from Friday.
The move came into implementation even before the State government took a decision to impose curfew or lockdown. The members of the traders’ association went from one shop to the other on Friday morning seeking their support to contain the spread of the virus and urged everyone not to allow customers to enter their shops without wearing a mask.
Meanwhile, the police personnel kept a stringent watch on the people going to shops and crowding at the tea and coffee kiosks and ensured that social distance was maintained. They also educated people on the benefits of wearing mask.
In the new town area of Anantapur, not many traders came forward to shut down the shutters, but the members of the association made rounds of all the shops and pleaded with them to close shops at 6 p.m.
However, resistance came from the hotel and restaurant owners as they did brisk business in the evening and in the absence of any official memo on this, they were not willing to lose money.
