Hyderabad: Buyers crowd markets, ignore social distancing in Charminar

With grocery stores running out of stocks, it is observed that people are running to kirana store after store for laying their hands on whatever is available; however, in this exercise the 'social distancing' norm is thrown to the wind

Charminar: Even as the government and authorities have issued advisories and carrying out awareness drives for maintaining 'social distance' to arrest the spread of deadly COVID-19 pandemic, the panic-stricken buyers are flooding the markets and purchasing essentials in close contact.

As grocery stores running out of stocks, it is observed that people are running to kirana store after store for laying their hands on whatever is available; however, in this exercise the 'social distancing' norm is thrown to the wind. Ironically, the people purchasing essentials for survival are putting the very lives at risk by coming in close contact.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the citizens should maintain 3 feet or 1-meter distance from one another, especially when a person is coughing or sneezing. Social distancing is described as one of the measures to arrest the spread of virus by Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao have also requested the citizens to maintain social distance to avoid the spread. "While most of the markets are marked to indicate maintaining distance by the authorities, but there were no markings at the markets in Old City. The people are crowding the stores to purchase essentials," said Mumtaz Ali, a pharma student.

On the day-4 of lockdown, it is observed that the social distancing practice was not being followed at grocery stores and in local markets. But it was being observed in supermarkets. Residents rue that the GHMC failed to put markings in markets of Old City. "I have heard about the social distancing implemented by GHMC in most of the parts in city even in vegetable markets, but it was not seen in grocery stores and markets like Mir Alam Mandi in Old City", said Mohammed Khizar, a customer.