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| - Residents of Kyrgyzstan's capital Bishkek trickled back to shopping malls on Monday but steered clear of public transport as economic activity resumed following a two-month coronavirus lockdown. AFP correspondents found most minibuses and trolleybuses half-empty as passengers sported masks and municipal authorities promised impromptu checks to ensure compliance with a new sitting-only rule. Typically packed minibuses -- or marshrutki -- are one of the capital's icons, with passengers allowed to stand as well as sit inside. "The drivers used to pack in as many people as possible," said 83-year-old Simeon Polyakov, a pensioner who likened the process to "canning food." "If they (do that) again now, I think they should be strictly punished," he added. Bishkek's roads are often choked with ageing vehicles, contributing to worsening smog in the city of one million people. During lockdown the pollution cleared considerably, revealing pristine views of surrounding mountains. But shutting markets and small businesses came at a high cost to many people in one of the former Soviet Union's poorest republics. Adilet Moldokmatov, a 31-year print shop employee, supported lockdown-easing measures and told AFP: "The disease probably exists but isn't as dangerous as people say. "If everything is closed, people will simply go hungry and there will be looting." Much of the service sector has resumed work, including swimming pools, Russian-style public baths and beauty salons. Shoppers had their temperatures checked upon entering a popular mall, and there were fewer clients than before the lockdown. Mira, 54, attributed quieter streets to the lack of students, who are working from home because universities are closed. Nevertheless, she said it was surprising to see the city so deserted. Kyrgyzstan, a majority-Muslim country of six million people, has reported more than 1,400 coronavirus cases since mid-March, when pilgrims who returned from Saudi Arabia tested positive for the disease. Polyakov, the concerned pensioner, said it was hard to maintain social distancing in shops now. "If you try to keep a metre's distance from the person in front, someone will certainly cut ahead of you!" he said. tol-cr/as/wai
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