Kerala police chief Loknath Behera has issued a new set of rules for supermarkets as part of COVID-19 regulations. Director General of Police Loknath Behera has issued an order stating that in hypermarkets, including margin free supermarkets, only six people should be allowed at a time within a 100 square feet area.
The order by the DGP also says that a minimum number of staff should be deployed in hypermarkets. As per the new rules, customers should wait outside, maintaining physical distance and the shop authorities should mark circles where each customer can stand. Each customer should be given a time limit inside such shops.
The order says that shop owners will be responsible to keep up all these regulations. The DGP's order has also warned banks. It said that neither banks nor any financial enterprises should compromise on maintaining physical distancing. Crowds shall not be formed outside such organisations. There were allegations that people gathered in crowds in front of different banks across Thiruvananthapuram city.
The order from the DGP says that many shops are not following instructions given earlier by the department as part of COVID-19 regulations. Earlier, all shops were asked to paste a set of instructions for customers inside and outside the shops in English and Malayalam. However, the DGP said, it was not followed by all in the city. So a special police team from the headquarters was assigned to keep a check and ensure that shop owners are following the rules.
Earlier, there were rules that all the merchants should provide hand washing or sanitizing facilities for their customers. But in many hypermarkets, crowd were not controlled properly. In small shops, they were asked to tie a rope so that customers don't come close together and form a crowd.
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