Adherence to Covid norms must in malls, restaurants as cases spike

kolkata: Following the advisory issued by the state Health department to check the spread of Covid in the wake of a sudden rise in daily cases, various malls and restaurants in the city have made it mandatory for its staff as well the visitors to wear masks and follow all safety norms laid down by the state government.

People in Kolkata lowered their guard against Covid ever since the daily log had dropped below 50. But as the daily cases crossed 1,500-mark, all the protocols are being enforced at public places. State Health department, through its latest advisory on Thursday, urged people to follow the Covid norms to check a further spread. Various malls and the restaurants in the city asked their staff and store-keepers to wear masks. Security staff members have also been instructed to ensure that the customers wear masks while entering the malls or the restaurants.

"Safety of the customers and the staff members are our top priority. We are abiding by all the government instructions. We are allowing only those who are wearing masks. We are also keeping a stock of masks at our entrance so that they can be handed over to people on urgent basis," a senior official of a shopping mall in the city said.

The official also added that they had already started spraying sanitisers on handrails and escalator rails. Utmost priority has been given to man management so that physical distancing can be followed as effectively as possible inside the malls and the shops.

Another official from the shopping mall in Salt Lake said the Covid protocols are being strictly followed. The entire mall is sanitised and cleaned on a daily basis. "Some people are not wearing masks and we are therefore urging them to abide by the government norms. People developed a habit of not wearing masks in the past three months when the number of daily cases dropped below 30-40," he added.

It may be mentioned here that the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Eastern India (HRAEI) has already sent a notice to all its members on maintaining the COVID-19 protocols considering the steep rise in the number of reported cases in the state. "Restaurants and hotels have been asked to become strict about usage of masks and sanitiser by both members of staff and customers," a senior official of HRAEI said.