Grocery supplies of offline and online stores are disrupted in the city. The workers were not able to reach their shops due to the curfew despite showing ID cards and wearing uniforms, and some were even lathi-charged. Others were allowed when a letter from their employees was shown. Many vans carrying essential goods were asked to go back, disrupting supplies across the city. In addition, many shops like Freshco and Heritage Milk Parlour in Somasundrapalya were forcibly shutdown by the cops. When residents questioned the officials, they replied that they had orders to close large shops.
Many stores are also shut due to lack of employees or/and supplies due to the reasons outlined above. Panicky residents called us to ask where they can buy their vegetables as their regular offline stores were shut, and online players like Amazon and Flipkart have also paused all deliveries for lack of stocks due to the 21-day lockdown.
A few other grocery stores are functioning with limited staff, while the residents are helping them out with ‘social distancing’ using visual markers, like in Indiranagar. Residents report that last night was chaotic after the PM’s announcement at 8am that the lockdown will begin from 12 midnight. Some suggested that the lockdown should have begun immediately as the four-hour break prompted several people to go back to their native places, while others crowded the shops, completely nullifying the reason for the lockdown: social distancing. However, the migrant labourers who were asked to vacate the factory premises by their owners, are trudging all the way back home on foot, as they have no shelter, transport or a means to earn.
Things are a bit better today in areas like Bellandur, HSR Layout, and Indiranagar. But many grocery shops are still shut in areas like Somasundrapalya, causing panic among the residents. Police commissioner Bhaskar Rao has announced that essential suppliers will have to take ‘duty passes’ from any of the eight offices of the Deputy Commissioners for non-stop supply of goods. The commissioner is meeting the representatives of essential service suppliers today at 7pm to resolve their issues, assuring complete cooperation.
In a few days, the supply of groceries and manpower should improve. However, we are urging the residents to avoid panic buying and hoarding stuff as it would lead to longer queues. Importantly, avoid browsing the stores as there are people waiting outside for their turn. Just get in and get out of the store with just the essentials. Importantly, when you do go out to shop, only one person per household is allowed (don’t go shopping in groups), and make sure you are six feet apart from the next person in the shopping queue. If there is no such queue, help the store owner who is suffering from low staff turnout, by volunteering to ensure ‘social distancing’ like it’s happening in Indiranagar. The residents have also convinced one large supermarket like MK Retail to take online orders, and store pick up, making the entire transaction ‘contactless’. The police commissioner has also requested the citizens by tweeting: “Social distancing should become a mission-oriented people program. Please do this as a service. RWAs and social leaders, take the lead. Keep distance.” For those who are offering essential services, the top cop asks them to follow these three rules as per the Government Order: Travel in company vehicle with logo, wear company uniform, and carry your ID card.
Stay safe, stay six feet apart. Avoid cash transactions, and go cashless. Wash your hands, and don’t touch your face, nose or eyes until you go back home and sanitise your hands up to the elbow. Remember, even if the newspaper you read or the currency you exchanged is contaminated, washing your hands will keep you safe. Similarly, disinfect your phone, door knobs and other common places that are used the most. Together, we can fight this. Stay calm. And if you are quarantined and cannot go out to shop, ask your neighbour to help you out.
AVOID RUMOURS
WhatsApp is the most popular medium of miscreants for spreading misinformation, panic, chaos, and importantly, propaganda. Don’t believe rumours that a certain resident, house, area, region, is infected with COVID-19, and so on. The fact is that the fever can occur anywhere, and the only way to stay safe is to avoid meeting people altogether, stay six feet apart, and wear a mask if you have any symptoms of fever, dry cough or breathlessness. Losing the sense of smell, diarrhea and vomiting are also some other symptoms in a few cases. Although testing at private laboraties is now allowed, and the the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has requested them to do the tests for free or at a subsidised rate, you should be ready to pay Rs 4,500 if the lab insists on full payment.
UPDATE: After the meeting this evening with hundreds of vendors at his office on Infantry Road, police commissioner Bhaskar Rao declared that all supermarkets and provision stores can stay open 24/7. However, the onus of maintaining ‘social distancing’ lies on the resident welfare associations, citizens, and the shopkeepers. If people don’t behave, this option can be rolled back, he warned. Soon after the meeting, e-commerce sites like Flipkart announced that they were ‘Now Live’ in Bangalore. Expect things to become normal in a couple of days like we had mentioned earlier today.
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