Textile Shops Crowded; No Masks, Physical Distancing

Wedding frenzy ups Covid risk in Kanchi

Textile Shops Crowded; No Masks, Physical Distancing

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:04.05.2021

The wedding season is set to begin in about a week and sari showrooms in Kancheepuram are seeing huge crowds, triggering fears of a Covid-19 cluster.

The district administration sealed four shops last week, but government-run stores and private establishments were packed on Monday when the district reported 835 fresh cases of Covid-19. At one store, hundreds of people entered as soon as it opened and resulted in chaos on Gandhi Road.

In October 2020, Kumaran Silks in Chennai was sealed after a video emerged showing a massive crowd inside violating distancing rules. The same month, a showroom in Salem was sealed after its inaugural offer of saris for just ₹23 each, and shirts and ‘veshtis’ for ₹20 each brought in multitudes of shoppers.

In Kancheepuram, little has changed. While shops measuring more than 3,000sqft remain shut, smaller ones are letting in more than 100 people at a time. “Families come in groups of not less than 20 members, as it is the practice to invite close relatives to select a sari for the bride. Sometimes they argue and we don’t want to forgo a customer,” said Shankar Das, who runs a showroom in Kancheepuram. Most customers buy saris in bulk and the bridal sari costs not less than ₹1 lakh, says he.

Fears of an imminent ‘complete lockdown’ are also driving people to shops. “Our wedding is planned in August, but we are rushing now as we fear there might be a complete lockdown,” said Sharadha of Vellore.

Most shopkeepers fail to adhere to safety protocols, saying it is difficult to communicate to customers while wearing masks.

Kancheepuram collector R Mageswari said many shops had closed down. “We are keeping an eye on those violating the norms. The public should realise the seriousness of the pandemic and cooperate.”

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