Allow reopening of the trade from June, retail shop owners appeal to state government

Mumbai: Amid a drop in daily Covid-19 cases in Mumbai, retail shop owners have asked the state government to allow shops to reopen from June. The daily number of cases in Mumbai is less than 1,500 after the increase in April. Traders said they were facing huge losses as the lockdown continued for more than 55 days.

We request the Government of Maharashtra to allow our shops to reopen from June 1 as a step towards reviving the economy as cases are declining in the state and especially in Mumbai. We lost a lot of income and jobs. We hope the government will allow small traders' businesses across Maharashtra to resume business 55 days after the lockdown.

Viren Shaw, president of the Federation of Retail Traders Welfare Association, said. He added that we will ensure proper precautions and safety for all our employees and customers. According to the federation, 13 lakh shops in Maharashtra will face a huge loss of Rs 70,000 crore by the end of May. According to the report, 55 lakh jobs are at risk.