Assam: Himanta Biswa Sarma Pleads Citizens to Stay at Home after Thousands Throng Bazaar amid Lockdown

Guwahati, March 27, 2020:

With the Central Government imposing a lockdown in the wake of the outbreak of the COVID-19 that has infected over 5 lakh people worldwide, Guwahati in Assam saw masses throng the marketplaces amid the lockdown. Earlier today, thousands of Guwahati residents were seen flocking to the market in droves to purchase commodities. This alarming development has prompted Assam Health Minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, to appeal the people of the state to stay indoors.

"Request to every one - please do not go out of our own Home. We are in very critical condition. Need to follow every word of Narendra Modi in both letter and spirit. Please", a concerned Biswa Sarma wrote on Twitter.

Once again, the markets of Fancy Bazaar, one of the busiest localities in the city, was seen buzzing with activity, with several thousand out on the streets to stock up on essentials. However, Inside Northeast reporters have confirmed that not everyone who is out on the streets is maintaining "social distancing". This is indeed an alarming situation, as Indian Prime Minister Modi, and health experts worldwide, have urged people to maintain distance of at least 1 metre in the middle of the outbreak.

In many places, people are not aware that they have to maintain distance in public, at a time when mass gatherings have been banned outright. In several places, people have been seen arguing upon being urged to maintain a queue/1 metre distance. Thus, in several of the bigger markets in Guwahati, the purpose of the lockdown -- i.e. to mitigate the spread of the virus -- has been lost.

It may be recalled that yesterday, Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal had announced at the Tezpur Medical College that the essential commodities such as vegetables, meat-fish, groceries, etc, would be availability. People seem to have taken it as assurance that it is perfectly OKAY to throng the markets, and the lockdown is being seen as a fun activity by many. This is evidenced by the fact that people continue to venture out for "fun" activities. In Tezpur itself, where Sonowal announced the availability of commodities, people were seen out an about and having a jolly good time by fishing.

Now, the question that arises is: if the people continue to take the COVID-19 lightly, and continue to crowd markets, will the Chief Minister of Assam take the responsibility for an outbreak? At a time when the Health Ministry in the State seems to be taking pre-emptive measures to ascertain that Assam is prepared to deal with the pandemic, the CM's reckless announcement to open markets, and that too for such an extended duration, has drawn sharp criticism.

After the CM's announcement in Tezpur, in Kamrup (M), the economic nerve-centre, the DC ordained that wholesale shops will be open from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, whereas the retail outlets will be opened from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm.

After today's display, people are wondering whether it is really necessary to open the shops for such an extended duration of time, and calls have been made on social media for the closure of "unauthorized" outlets.

ALSO READ: Assam: Guwahati Residents Maintain ‘Social Distance’ While Shopping Essentials amid Corona Lockdown

In Fancy Bazar market, and elsewhere, people were seen clearly violating the norms, amid the frantic activity of buying and of selling of goods, in an economy that has been crippled by the shutdown.

COVID-19 UPDATE:

At the time of filing this report, worldometers.info reports that a total of 532,936 infections have been reported so, far, with 733 of those being from India. While the virus has claimed 24,095 lives across the world, the Indian toll stands at 20.

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