Kodagu too fixes trade timings from 6 am till 2 pm every day; Sunday shut

Hunsur/ Madikeri: As the dreaded Coronavirus is rapidly spreading its tentacles in both city and rural areas, people are coming forward to voluntarily shut shop or a voluntary lockdown without depending on the Government to officially declare a lockdown.

The latest to join the bandwagon is Hunsur town with a fairly crowded population where the traders have decided to go for a voluntary lockdown every day from 3 pm to 7 am and be fully closed on Sundays. This is their way to prevent the spread of the virus.

The decision will be implemented from June 26 (today) till July 5 as decided at a meeting held at Hunsur Town Municipality Office in the presence of Tahsildar Basavaraju and Hunsur MLA H.P. Manjunath.

Representatives of merchants and owners of commercial properties, hotel owners, liquor shop owners, roadside vendors and vegetable and fruit vendors attended the meeting and decided to follow the example of traders from Channapattana, Ramanagara and Kanakapura. The meeting decided not to have a full lockdown till July 5 as students will be severely inconvenienced as the SSLC examinations are going on.

As per the decision, there will be sale only in the morning from Monday to Saturday and all the traders will close by 3 pm. On Sundays, they will be fully closed.

The Kodagu Chamber of Commerce too has taken a decision to voluntarily close all shops and business establishments from 2 pm while continuing trade from 6 am to 2 pm. Chamber of Commerce President M.B. Devaiah said that the half-day rule will be applicable across the District till July 4.

As the Kodagu District Chamber of Commerce has taken this decision, the local Chamber of Commerce in other areas have been authorised to reduce the trade timings or go for full lockdown depending on the intensity of COVID-19 spread.