Kathmandu gradually emerged from lockdown following Wednesday's announcement relaxing the restrictions accompanied by a long list of do's and don'ts.

Shopkeepers across the valley pulled up their shutters and dusted off their merchandise as automobiles returned to the streets in line with the odd-even licence plate number rule.

Traders are waiting for the standard operating procedure to be issued so that they can open their businesses in a full-fledged manner as the high-level corona crisis management committee is yet to approve the protocol for opening shops and operating vehicles.

Naresh Katuwal, president of the Federation of Nepal National Traders, said that most shops in the valley remained open the whole day on Thursday. “There was no option left for us despite the rise in the number of infections. The government never offered us any relief plan,” he said.

Before the lockdown was partially lifted, traders had defied the restrictions and opened their shops for a certain time in the morning, increasingly impatient and hard up for cash after two and a half months of being confined to their homes.

As the government is still working on the standard operating procedure, traders reopened their shops by following social distancing and other safety measures.

Businesses will see few customers as transportation restrictions are still in place, said merchants. People will be spending their money on essential goods, so retail trade will take some time to pick up pace, Katuwal said.

“We have urged the government to simplify the operational modalities for businesses,” he said.

Doing business will be a lot different from what it used to be before the lockdown because of Covid-19. A single careless act can spread the virus, so it is important for traders to follow the safety measures properly, they said.

Stores in most places including New Road, Asan, Ring Road, Baneshwor, Patan and Chabahil started operating from Thursday. Most hardware shops and stores selling construction materials in the Ring Road area were open.

A readymade ladies wear shop owner at New Road said he was currently earning Rs2,000-Rs3,000 daily compared to Rs15,000-Rs20,000 before the lockdown.

Many shop owners said their goods were damaged by moisture during the prolonged lockdown.

Narendra Prasad, a textile and carpet shop owner at Tahachal, said he had not been able to earn a penny the whole day. “I would be happy if I could earn some money to pay the rent for my shop,” he said.

Dhiraj Shrestha, president of the Ranjana Trade Association, said that 25 percent of the shops selling readymade garments, shoes, bags and mobiles in the New Road area had reopened while 10 percent of the shops in Ranjana Mall were back in business.

Most of the traders were unaware about the government decision, he said, and he expected more shops to reopen from Friday. Shrestha said that shopkeepers stayed open from 9 am till 2 pm in keeping with operational guidelines for safe reopening.

“It is high time the shops were reopened as keeping them closed any longer will impact business during the Dashain and Tihar festivals,” he said.

According to him, shops were gradually beginning to receive customers in the last few days. Business is not good during the monsoon, and traders are optimistic about increased sales during the upcoming Dashain and Tihar festivals which fall in October, he added.