Chaos and panic buying in T.N. cities before lockdown

Physical distancing, masks ignored as crowds throng markets

26/04/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,CHENNAI

Rules defied: No social distancing was observed at the Thiruvanmiyur vegetable market in Chennai. M. KarunakaranThe Hindu

Chaotic scenes prevailed at markets and shops on Saturday in major cities in Tamil Nadu, including Chennai, Coimbatore and Madurai, as people scrambled to stock up on essentials ahead of the four-day “complete lockdown” beginning at 6 a.m on Sunday.

Physical distancing norms were compromised and the mandate of wearing masks ignored in the rush even as 66 more persons in the State, including 43 in Chennai, tested positive for COVID-19. With one more fatality, the death toll rose to 23 in the State. So far, 1,821 confirmed cases have been recorded.

Limited time

With only a day to stock up and a 1 p.m. deadline for shops to close, the people in the three major cities thronged the shops from early in the morning.

The situation was equally bad in Tiruppur that will be shut for three days, but in Salem, another city where severe restrictions would be imposed till Tuesday, shops remained closed.

Facing a barrage of criticism from the Opposition that described the “complete lockdown” as an “ill-conceived idea”, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami later allowed shops to remain open till 3 p.m.

The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority and the Chennai Corporation added to the confusion by announcing that vegetable and fruit shops would remain open during the “complete lockdown”.

However, in the evening, Corporation Commissioner G. Prakash clarified that only sale of vegetables and fruits in wholesale markets, on push carts and mobile vehicles would be allowed, as announced by the government earlier.

Chaos at Koyambedu

All roads leading to the Koyambedu wholesale market in Chennai witnessed heavy traffic, with nearly 50,000 people visiting the complex within a couple of hours of its opening.

Saturday’s sales were 30%-40% higher than the usual, said S. Chandran of the Koyambedu Vegetable Wholesale Merchants Association.