On August 21, the Haryana government had ordered all public and private offices, shopping malls and markets, except those dealing with essential services, to close on Saturdays and Sundays. They argued that markets and malls were not centres for the spread of the coronavirus. We were already adversely hit by the shutdown of non-essential shops during the lockdown, and subsequent low footfall upon reopening. Mukesh Kumar, a trader in sector 46 market, said that a two-day restriction to stop the spread of coronavirus defied logic. “From a logical perspective, the closing of non-essential shops for two days is not going to stop or limit the spread of coronavirus.

Source: Hindustan Times August 26, 2020 18:13 UTC