Retailers Association of India (RAI) on Wednesday said the prolonged closures of malls in Maharashtra due to Covid-19 have ''impacted'' around 2 lakh jobs and asked the state government to allow them to operate with necessary safeguards.

The closure has put the entire ecosystem that depends on the malls in "serious jeopardy" and is not only hurting businesses but also livelihoods of people working there, RAI said in a statement.