Great News! Pet Shops & Spas can reopen. But Social Distancing Top Priority
The lockdown amidst the coronavirus pandemic has become as stressful for pets as it is for their human counterparts. With pet shop owners and pet breeders having to frantically shutdown their establishments in a state of emergency, not much could be done to reduce stress on animals in these establishments during first few days of the lockdowns.
However, thanks to interventions of the central and state governments as well the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI), pets in need of dire relief, will be happy to see familiar faces once against as fresh directives have been issued to reopen pet stores which include pet grooming spas and salons.
This blog post will be helpful to shop owners as well as pet parents who are wondering how to get their pets an overdue grooming.
Enquire with Local Authorities:
The latest guidelines from the AWBI direct that all pet clinics, shops & spas will have to be registered with the animal welfare boards in various states. Unregistered establishments have been banned.
Shop owners might also need to take permission from local authorities viz. municipality and local police before business can resume. Specific protocols, of course, will vary between districts and states. If your shop has come under a covid-19 containment zone i.e. red zone, chances are reopening may not be permitted.
Social Distancing on High Priority:
Once the authorities give the green signal to reopen shops, enforcing social distancing with clients and customers will be the first prerequisite to keep shops open. News reports of several local authorities across the country have issued safety guidelines to be followed once pet shops reopen.
In city’s like Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Chandigarh among others, the guidelines state that no more than one customer/client at a time should be attended with minimum interaction. Maximum of one employee can be enlisted for taking care of business activities. Needless to say, you must confirm with local authorities on maximum staffing for your business.
Safety for Pets and their Humans:
One of Mumbai’s top pet groomers Andrea Cyrill Khurana advises to keep shops disinfected at all times. She also suggests giving pets a quick bath as soon as they come in for grooming. This Andrea says is to ensure that neither the animal or humans are able to cross-infect one another.
Using masks or simply covering faces with a thick cloth, maintaining basic hygiene and social distancing by both shop owners and pet parents will go a long way in reducing the spread of this deadly virus.
A lot of things may seem overwhelming because of the lockdown and some of these protocols are new to many and will take some time getting used to. But these restrictions seem like minor hurdles if it means our best animal friends are being taken care of.
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