Business owners unanimously agree that the decision to close at eight in the evening is strange, illogical, and of no economic or health feasibility, they stressed that its economic consequences will not be much less severe than the complete closure, as business losses range between 30 percent to 40 percent, Al Qabas reported.
Considering that the operating period during the summer is most active after 8:30 pm, taking into account several aspects, most notably the high air temperature and the Maghrib and Isha prayers timing. Consumers prefer to go out at night to meet their needs from the markets, in addition to the fact that opening activities in restaurants will reflect positively on points of sale and commercial traffic.
They called for an economic figure among the members of the Corona committee to avoid any future decisions conflicting with the country’s economic and commercial interests, at a time when the business community is looking to adapt to the conditions of the current crisis for economic recovery.
The Chairman of the Board of Directors of Al-Shall Economic Consulting Company, Jassem Al-Saadoun, commented on the continuation of the decision to close the shops at 8:00 pm, saying: “Does the virus have hours of attendance and departure?”
Member of the Supreme Council for Planning Ali Al-Rasheed Al-Badr called for extending the shopping period, until 10 pm, because these two hours will have a return on points of sale, especially as it will not significantly affect the risks of spreading infection.