Senseless in Chennai: How we violated the curfew in place – Times of India

Chennai News

CHENNAI: You’d think it was a bandh called by some political party instead of the first day of the lockdown. People across Chennai callously ignored the call to stay at home and went around on two-wheelers and in cars, crowding stores and endangering themselves and others. In places such as Mylapore, Royapettah, Triplicane, Ice House, Saidapet and Thiruvottiyur the streets were as crowded as on a regular day.
Social distancing was not observed at most of the shops, with customers crowding the counters. Hordes of bikers rode around on Anna Salai, Poonamallee high road, roads near MGR Central, Nelson Manickam road, Whites road and other thoroughfares. The police watched helplessly as people violated the law. Section 144, which bars assembly of more than four people, is in force.
“If stopped, most of the people say they are going to hospital,” said a policeman.
In shops that were allowed to open to sell fruits and groceries, neither the shop owners nor the people who dropped in to buy where ready to take precautions.
In Mogappair, TOI did a small experiment. A correspondent stood outside a grocery shop, around 10 feet away from the counter, for 10 minutes hoping that others too would follow suit and maintain a safe distance. But quite the opposite was happening as customers, in a rush to take home whatever was available, tried to nudge one another away. Neither the shopkeeper nor his customers seemed bothered about the warning the Prime Minister had given on television to ensure social distancing.
Some customers said standing outside a shop and waiting for their turn was risky as the person inside might panic-buy.
When asked why he was not insisting on maintaining social distancing, the shopkeeper, who has spread his wares on the road now that it was empty, shrugged and smiled. The meaning was not lost to anyone, it’s panic time and rules are the last thing on the menu.
Similar was the scene at markets in Tiruvottiyur and Royapettah. Bhaskar, a shop owner, who wears a mask and gloves, said, “I am concerned about our safety. Several people are coming to buy. I have stock for a week. That is what is keeping the business going. As the police are strict on the first day, they are not allowing the small trucks to lift stocks from warehouses and supply to shops here. This is a worry. Hope it will be solved in the coming days.”
However, some of the supermarkets in T Nagar have started marking spots, maintaining safe distance, for people to queue up in front of their shops and regulated entry to avoid crowding inside. A few shops in Triplicane had kept a bucket of diluted dettol and urged all customers to wash their hands before leaving.
Seeing that traffic is increasing by the hour, police patrols moved about sirens blaring urging people to go back home. Since crowding was continuing they had to force grocery shops to down shutters or allow many to sell wares after downing the shutters half way down.
And that seems to have worked. In a few shops in Royapettah, the shop keepers were seen saying “one at a time. Please wait for your turn”.

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Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/senseless-in-chennai-how-we-violated-the-curfew-in-place/articleshow/74820435.cms