Fearing coronavirus spread, no shopping centres reopening before Eid in Chattogram

Traders in Chattogram will continue keeping their shops shut, fearing reopening them will help spread coronavirus infection.

The government has allowed malls to reopen from May 10 to facilitate shopping for the Eid-ul-Fitr.

The shop owners’ association in Chattogram and port city’s New Market Merchants Association took the decision in a meeting with CMP Commissioner Md Mahbubur Rahman on Saturday.

Traders of 10 markets in the port city agreed to keep the shutters down considering the safety of the customers, salespeople and risks of a bigger outbreak.

Moreover, the traders are unsure whether the customers will follow health advices and restrictions on shopping in malls that are more than kilometres away from their homes, Khurshid Alam, general secretary of both associations, told bdnews24.com.

The traders had earlier decided to keep their shops closed across the city until the extended lockdown ended on May 16.

They will think about restarting business if the situation gets better and the lockdown is lifted, Khurshid said.

“The shops are not reopening before Eid if these do not happen,” he said.

But traders of some wholesale markets were yet to confirm their decisions.

CMP Commissioner Mahbubur said the traders are allowed to reopen the malls but they must follow the directives.