All street vendors in the city and retailers at the three main markets, including the Devaraja Market, have been directed to get themselves tested for COVID-19 within a week.
This was decided by the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) authorities in a bid to curb the possible spread of the cases which is on the rise in the city.
Mysuru reported 1,514 new cases on Saturday – the highest since the pandemic broke out – sending the authorities into a tizzy. The district has also recorded 798 cumulative deaths and has become a major source of worry for the administration. Hence the authorities though it fit to increase testing in places where there is large public movement and transaction as in case of the main markets.
Gurudutt Hegde, Commissioner, MCC, said there are nearly 900 vendors and merchants in Devaraja Market alone and they expect about 2,000 vendors to be covered from the three markets, including the Mandi and Vani Vilas markets. In addition, there are over 2,000 registered street vendors in the city as per the 2018 records but the actual numbers are manifold as not all have registered.
“We have given them one week’s time for getting tested for COVID-19. Our mobile teams will also visit the three markets and the vendors can make use of the opportunity to get themselves tested,” said Mr. Hegde.
But this is not a one-time testing and the MCC has announced that repeat tests will be necessary to ensure that those testing positive are quarantined and do not come in contact with the public. “Vendors have to get themselves tested once in a fortnight and the police will be empowered to enforce the rules,” said the Commissioner.
As part of the unlocking, markets have opened but it has been found that in most cases both the vendors and the customers tend to be casual about wearing masks while social distancing is compromised. Mr. Hegde said they have ramped up the capacity for testing and the mobile units will offer both RT-PCR and rapid tests.
