Ahead of festive season, COVID protocols go for a toss as huge crowds seen in Delhi, MP, Tamil Nadu
On Sunday, consumers flocked to Delhi marketplaces such as Sadar Bazar, Chandni Chowk, Lajpat Nagar, Lal Quarter Krishna Nagar, Karol Bagh, Kamla Rajouri Garden, and Tilak Nagar.
FollowDespite the Union Health Ministry's repeated reminders to adhere to COVID-19 guidelines in marketplaces and other public places, large crowds were spotted going to markets in Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu ahead of Diwali. At the marketplaces, many people were spotted without masks and without maintaining social distance. On Sunday, consumers flocked to Delhi marketplaces such as Sadar Bazar, Chandni Chowk, Lajpat Nagar, Lal Quarter Krishna Nagar, Karol Bagh, Kamla Rajouri Garden, and Tilak Nagar.
Devraj Baweja, head of the Sadar Bazar Market Association, told PTI that the buyers who flocked to the market brazenly violated COVID-10 procedures. He described the scene as "chaos," claiming that officials should have made greater preparations because large crowds were expected at marketplaces. "Festivals often draw a large audience, but the authorities should have made elaborate plans to guarantee that individuals behave in a Covid-appropriate manner. Nobody was observed wearing a mask or engaging in social distancing," he revealed this to PTI.
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Similar massive crowds were reported at Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh, where market organisations fought to keep the crowd under control during the coronavirus outbreak. News agency ANI shared a photo of a big mob thronging Chennai's T Nagar market with no maks or social distancing. A similar circumstance existed at Madhya Pradesh's Indore's Rajwada market.
The Union Health Ministry requested that states and territories implement strong COVID measures to combat overcrowding at market locations before the holiday season. Several health experts have cautioned that the pre-Diwali rush may increase COVID-19 cases around the country.
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Last week, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, met with state health ministers and urged them to cover all eligible people with the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by the end of November 2021. He also stated that more than 10.34 crore people had not taken the second dose after the prescribed interval. Â He pleaded with them to guarantee that no district went without comprehensive immunisation.
