Reality Check: People flout Chennai Corporation’s order as most market areas remain busy – India Today

The Greater Chennai Corporation on Friday had announced that nine busy market areas in the city will be shut for 10 days between July 31 and August 10 to curtail the resurgence of Covid-19 in Chennai.

However, a reality check by India Today showed that despite the closure, market areas in many places continued to be extremely busy with locals frequenting the area.

At Ranganathan Street in T Nagar, which generally buzzes with activities, the shops were all shuttered but the crowd coming in and out of the market was high. Though there was a police checkpoint at the entrance of the street, two-wheelers constantly removed the barricade and moved in and out.

“All of you kindly wear masks and follow social distancing to save your life from corona,” was the announcement on the speaker which was playing an automated awareness message of the Greater Chennai Corporation. But the sight was disappointing, as half the people forgot these basic norms.

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In Parrys, another busy locality and market area in Chennai which has also been instructed to remain closed till August 9, the scene was no different. Hundreds of people were seen walking along the pavements and many shopkeepers in the NC Bose Road, which was mentioned in the corporation’s directives to be shut, continued to remain operational.

Local police in the area were seen clicking pictures and requesting shop owners to put the shutter down.

In the Purashavakkam area, though, the scene was a little different with shops closed and the lockdown atmosphere prevailing.

The city has been seeing a spike in Covid 19 cases for the last few days. Over 200 fresh cases were registered on July 30.

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