Assam govt allows standalone shops in rural areas to open from Tuesday

The Assam government on Monday said standalone shops in rural areas, excluding the containment zones, will be allowed to open from April 28 amid the coronavirus-induced lockdown. The decision was taken during a cabinet meeting in the afternoon.

"Only standalone shops in rural areas in green and orange zones (except containment areas) will open. No bazaar or haat will open...No rural shops in five km of boundary of red zone will be allowed," Assam Chief Secretary Kumar Sanjay Krishna tweeted. "For urban areas, it will be reviewed on May 3," Krishna added.

Later, talking to reporters, Assam Parliamentary Affairs Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary said the cabinet met following Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal's video conference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier in the day. "It was decided that shops in the rural areas in green zones will be allowed to open from tomorrow, but no markets or haats will be permitted.

"If there are a number of shops together in one particular location, then these will be considered as markets and will not be allowed to open till May 3," the minister said. Strict implementation of the lockdown will continue in the five red zone districts -- Dhubri, Goalpara, Nalbari, Morigaon and Golaghat, he added.

After the Union government allowed opening of neighbourhood and standalone shops with 50 per cent workforce, the Assam government had on April 25 decided to postpone its implementation till Monday. Asked if any decision was taken on extending the lockdown beyond May 3, Patowary said, "The state government will not take any decision on its own regarding the lockdown.

It will abide by the instructions of the Centre." The central government had recently said neighbourhood and standalone shops, including those selling garments, mobile phones, hardware and stationery items, have been allowed to open but those located in marketplaces, malls and COVID-19 hotspots and containment zones will continue to remain shut till May 3. In rural areas, all shops, except those in single and multi-brand shopping malls, are allowed to open.

The shops will function with 50 per cent workforce and strictly adhere to precautions, which include social distancing and wearing of masks, the Centre had said in an order..