Kumaran Silks, a popular textiles and garments store in Chennai, was sealed by the city's civic body on October 20 after a video showing a massive crowd gathered inside the multi-storeyed showroom ahead of the festive season but in violation of social distancing rules. “A shop in T Nagar has been locked and sealed since they allowed overcrowding & didn't follow the COVID-19 safety protocols,” the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) said in a tweet. The video that led to the showroom being sealed showed hundreds of people with no social distancing being maintained. Several of those inside and outside the showroom were not wearing face masks either. There are more than 50 big showrooms in T Nagar. The Tamil Nadu government had earlier released SOPs while allowing standalone shops to reopen as part of a phased unlocking of the economy. These SOPs include regulating entry to prevent overcrowding, use of sanitisers and face masks, and maintaining social distancing. Chennai's coronavirus cases have been declining in recent weeks but, with the festive season coming up, crowds are expected in shopping hubs and major markets. Officials have urged people to shop only if absolutely necessary, but it is unclear, at this stage, how effective these appeals are going to be. The city has, so far, reported over 6.9 lakh confirmed cases, of which 1.9 are active and around 10,000 are deaths linked to the virus.
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