Shops that are not in malls and not in Covid-19-hit zones can start operating from May 21, maintaining distancing rules and hygiene, police said on Tuesday.

Malls will remain closed, though, the police said.

The Calcutta Municipal Corporation and the city police will prepare a list of places that are in the affected, buffer and clean zones within a Red Zone and an Orange Zone. The government has decided to subdivide the two zones to ease restrictions in places within the zones that have not been hit by the coronavirus, a civic official said.

“No passes or permission will be needed to open shops outside affected zones. They will have to follow the basic rules of distancing and the restrictions on the number of customers, apart from the directives on staff strength mentioned in the government order,” Subhankar Sinha Sarkar, joint commissioner (headquarters), said.

Affected zones are places that have reported Covid-19 patients. A buffer zone is immediately outside an affected zone and a clean zone is a place, which has not reported any Covid-19 patients.

Once a list of affected, buffer and clean zones has been created, it will be uploaded on the CMC’s website, a civic official said.

Government guidelines have said shop owners will have to ensure not more than five people can enter a shop at a time and that they maintain a distance of at least 6ft among themselves.

There was confusion among some traders if they could open shops after checking the list or if some permission was needed.

“We need an official intimation from the CMC, allowing us to open the market…. After we receive official communication, we will approach the police and try to clarify other points… such as if we have to follow the odd/even rule for opening shops,” Asraf Ali, joint secretary of the SS Hogg Market Traders association, said.

A few standalone shops in the Jadavpur-Baghajatin area have started operations but there is no instruction if all shops can open simultaneously, an officer of Jadavpur police station said.

There is no specific embargo on opening shops outside affected zones, an officer in Lalbazar said.

It is mandatory for shop owners to use masks, gloves and hand sanitisers. Shops can operate with a staff strength of either 50 per cent or 25 per cent depending on their locations, according to the government guidelines.