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Shopping Centres Association has said that shut down trains as bulk of people are found in trains and local markets, malls get only 1 per cent of the floating population.
The lobby grouping for malls wondered why trains and local markets which attract more crowds are allowed to operate, while retail and restaurants have a limited footfall walking-in have more restrictions.
“Surge in cases started after local trains were allowed in mid-February. There need to be more focus on local markets and trains to control the spread,” it said.
It can be noted that Mumbai mayor Kishori Pednekar had on Thursday hinted at restrictions like halting movement on trains, malls and religious places in order to limit the infections. The plea comes on a day when Pune, one of the biggest cities in the state, has decided to go for a night lockdown from dusk to dawn, and days after the state government banned groups of over five from assembling together in the evenings.
Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray is scheduled to address citizens late on Friday.
The COVID-19 infections are rising by the day in Maharashtra, contributing nearly half of the country”s total in the last few days. Mumbai alone had over 8,000 positive patients on Thursday.
Localised restrictions like antigen testing before entering malls are derailing the recovery of the shopping places in Maharashtra, the association said.
