Mad rush in markets sparks fear of rapid spread

The crowd management plan of the police went haywire in parts of Peter’s Road in Royapettah, Zam Bazaar, Ayanavaram and Otteri when the complete lockdown was lifted on Thursday. As per the instructions, the shopkeepers had erected posts to regulate the queue and made marks for social distancing, but people were on a buying spree before the stock ends.

The worst affected is said to be the market area in Zam Bazaar as shops lined up on the roads leaving no space for the motorists.

S Arivazhagan, a resident of Royapettah, said that though the officials said that shops would be open till 5 pm on Thursday, people panicked the stock may run out by the end of the day and rushed to the shops. To justify his point, he pointed out that vegetables were not available at many shops and the vendors complained that the supply has been reduced as the wholesalers at Koyambedu market complex only encourage buying in bulk.

In Ayanavaram, the temporary market was closed after a few positive cases were reported from there and the entire stretch from Ayanavaram signal to Otteri bridge was made into a market on Thursday. Nonetheless, the crowd went unmanageable around 11 am. Later, additional strength of police personnel brought the movement under control.

However, in some places like Adyar and Tambaram, the crowd was properly streamlined and the parking lots were set up a few yards away from the market areas. In Adyar, the market was set up at three different places to divert the crowd.