Shops, small biz in Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, Rajkot to remain shut till May 3

Gandhinagar: District authorities in Gujarat’s four major cities decided to keep shops and small businesses shut till May 3 in view of the increasing incidence of Covid-19, reversing chief minister Vijay Rupani’s decision to ease the lockdown.

The CM had announced on Saturday last week that all shops across the state, except those in malls and shopping complexes or within containment zones, would start operating, following a similar directive from the Union home ministry.

However, the next day, Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat and Rajkot decided to keep shops and small businesses shut till May 3.


Rupani tweeted that “the collectors and municipal commissioners across four major cities in Gujarat jointly decided that the shops and businesses will not be allowed to open across Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat and Rajkot until May 3 keeping in mind the growing cases of virus infection”. Later, he addressed the people of the state through television.

The decision was taken after consultation with local traders and the state government keeping in mind the state of infection across the cities which have emerged as the major hotspots for Covid-19 in Gujarat. However, the shops dealing with essential commodities, which have been functioning during the lockdown, will continue to operate across Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Rajkot and Surat.

On Saturday, the state government had announced that shops and businesses could start operation subject to conditions including use of only 50% of their staff for the time being, adherence to necessary safety measures and social distancing. Malls and complexes were to remain closed until further notice, though, along with barber shops, tea stalls, tobacco shops, restaurants and hotels.

On Sunday, the decision with regard to the major cities was reversed and the government said that transport services too shall not resume for the time being.