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Chaotic scenes prevailed in markets and shops on Saturday in major Tamil Nadu cities, including Chennai, Coimbatore and Madurai, as people rushed to stock up on essentials before the four-day “complete shutdown” that begins at 6 a.m. Sunday morning.
Physical distancing regulations were compromised and the mandate to wear masks was ignored in a rush, even when 66 more people in the state, including 43 in Chennai, tested positive for COVID-19. With one more fatality, the death toll increased to 23 in the State. So far, 1,821 confirmed cases have been recorded.
Limited time
With just one day to stock up and 1 p.m. Deadline to close stores, people in the three main cities packed the stores from early in the morning.
The situation was equally bad in Tiruppur, which will be closed for three days, but in Salem, another city where severe restrictions would be imposed until Tuesday, the stores remained closed.
Faced with a barrage of criticism from the Opposition that described the “total closure” as a “misconception,” Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami later allowed the stores to remain open until 3 p.m.
The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority and Chennai Corporation increased confusion by announcing that fruit and vegetable stores would remain open during the “total closure.”
However, at night, Commissioner G. Prakash Corporation clarified that the sale of vegetables and fruit would only be allowed in wholesale markets, in push carts and mobile vehicles, as previously announced by the government.
Chaos in Koyambedu
All the roads leading to the Koyambedu wholesale market in Chennai witnessed heavy traffic, with almost 50,000 people visiting the complex within a couple of hours after it opened.
Saturday sales were 30% -40% higher than usual, said S. Chandran of the Koyambedu Wholesale Vegetable Merchants Association.
“Normally, 20% of daily arrivals would remain after sales. But, on Saturday, most traders sold both the day’s arrivals and the previous day’s stock, “he said.
In many parts of Chennai, eager residents crowded or stood in long lines to buy groceries and vegetables.
Vijaykumar, a Madipakkam resident, bought 15 sachets of milk, although the government has said there will be no restrictions on the sale of the essential product.
“My milk vendor said there will be no store for the next four days. So I had to buy in bulk and in stock, “said Vijaykumar.
In Coimbatore, the police and civic officials fought to guarantee distance in the temporary vegetable markets. “The four-day lock will be useless as people are crowding stores today and are not keeping their distance,” said M. Vignesh Kumar, an IT employee.
In Salem, there was confusion when the Collector declared the entire district to be closed over the weekend, although the Chief Minister had announced it for three days starting Sunday. Markets and shops were closed.
In Madurai, too, most grocery stores saw long queues and overcrowding, particularly in temporary markets like those established at Iyer Bungalow, Anna Nagar and Madura College. The police valiantly tried to make sure that people wore masks. District Collector T.G. Vinay said that 43 high-ranking officials were deployed to various parts of the 100 rooms in the Madurai district to monitor the situation.
(With contributions from the Coimbatore and Madurai offices)
