No Corona SOPs followed in Lahore markets

LAHORE: As soon as the lockdown is lifted, a large number of citizens rushed towards the city markets and shopping centres where all types of violations of corona SOPs were witnessed while the district administration remained out of scene.

All shopping malls, big grocery stores and cash and carry stores, posh, middle and lower class markets were opened and full of public especially women along with their minor children. All cash and carry stores, which were earlier only selling groceries also opened their nonfood sections while other shops in the malls were also opened.

“Observing social distancing is a dream, which we can see but can’t implement,” said a senior official of district administration on anonymity. He said soft order was to close our eyes until Eid because the government was under immense pressure of trader community who wanted to open their shops before Eid.

“It seems that people are released from prison,” commented a shopkeeper of Ichra market. He said the market committee did nothing to protect the citizens as well as to implement the SOPs.

Parking at most of the city malls was witnessed full and people were seen parking their vehicles on roads and side roads. In Johar Town, long queues of vehicles was witnessed outside a big mall, which is situated right next to Expo Centre where Corona patients are under treatment.

Similarly, in Model Town, parking of a cash and carry was also full and people were seen parking their vehicles on the main Model Town Link Road and other side roads. Most of the small shops openly violated the SOP of providing sanitizers to their customers while at many points people were seen jam packed in small shops especially at Karim Block Market, Panorama Centre, Anarkali, Liberty, Ichra, Chungi Amarsadhu, Township, Johar Town G1, Wapda Town and etc.

The SOP of not bringing children especially minor ones to markets was also not followed and hundreds of women were seen carrying infants or minor kids with them while shopping in the city markets.

“I can’t provide sanitizer to all of my customers because it is not a cheep item,” said a small trader Bilal of Township Market who is selling Mehndi and bangles. He said he can’t afford the product because over 500 visitors daily visit his shop, which means he needed gallons of sanitizer. Same are the views of other similar shopkeepers. They also said they can’t stop people from coming in their shops because this move will hit their clientage. However, a very less shopkeepers were seen following the SOPs and most of them were related to brands. Guards standing outside these shops were stopping people from entering the shop when there are two or three customers were already in the shop.

Hammad, manager of such a brand shop in Karim Block said they had lost a large number of customers due to implementing social distancing because customer never wait and go to the next shop if denied entry.

Jamila Khalid, a resident of Faisal Town, said she came to get dress for her little girl and this is why she has to bring her for shopping. She said she was keeping a bottle of sanitizer in her purse and before entering a shop she used it on her and her daughter’s hands.

Kaleem, a resident of Alhamd Colony, said he came to buy shoes for Eid in Anarkali because he can’t afford to buy shoes from a big brand and the only affordable option is Anarkali Bazaar. “We can’t stop masses from coming to markets and it is the duty and responsibility of public to take safety measures,” said Danish Afzal, Deputy Commissioner Lahore while talking to The News.

He said there are almost 200 big and small markets in the provincial capital and if we count shops they are in thousands. Trader community assured us of implementing corona SOPs but they are not fulfilling their commitment.

Over a question that this situation will give a boost to corona cases, he said, yes, it will and the district administration had already briefed this situation to the government.