All eateries including restaurants, dhabas, food stalls, coffee shops and sweets shops in Lucknow will remain shut till March 31, the district administration ordered as the Uttar Pradesh capital reported four new positive cases of COVID-19 on Friday, taking the total in the State to 23.
District Magistrate of Lucknow Abhishek Prakash also ordered offices, establishments and institutes, barring essential services like hospitals, ration shops and medical stores, to be shut in a part of Lucknow till March 23.
The affected area Khurram Nagar, where the fresh cases were reported, falls within Aliganj, Mahanagar, Indira Nagar, Gudamba and Vikas Nagar.
All bars, lounges, hair saloons and beauty parlours have also been asked to shut down till March 31.
Sudhir Singh, King George Medical University spokesperson, said of the four new cases, one, singer Kanika Kapoor, had a travel history to the U.K., while the other three are contacts of a previously found postive case.
Lucknow has so far reported eight positive cases.
Meanwhile, the administration's order triggered panic buying in some parts of the city, even as traders said they were reporting falling business over the last few days due to the outbreak of the disease.
Many vendors expressed anxiety and said they were planning to return to their native villages as they expected business to be hit.
Raj Kishor Dwivedi, who runs a vegetarian restaurant in the prominent Lalbagh area, said he had purchased a mask for himself as well as his nine staff members. “If this doesn't stop soon, the way it is spreading, it will take a big form,” said a worried Mr. Dwivedi.
His sales have been halved over the past week, he said.
Few customers
Yahya Faridi, who runs a cyber cafe, which naturally sees a regular footfall, also said the number of customers coming to his cafe had sharply dipped. Kripya ek meter ki duri banakar charcha kare (Please maintain a distance of one metre before talking), reads a notice plastered by him above his computers to warn customers about the need for social distancing.
