With residents getting prepared for a 12-day lockdown from Thursday midnight, shops and markets in several areas in the city saw crowds on Wednesday. ATMs and banks had long queues with people wanting to withdraw cash.
In areas such as Triplicane and Mylapore, the traditional markets were crowded. One could see large number of people at grocery shops.
Suresh Kumar, a resident of Mylapore, said that he wanted to stock up for two weeks as he did not want to step out of the house after Thursday.
He said that he had purchased milk powder so that he would not have to step out to purchase milk.
Valarmathi Saravanan, a resident of Vyasarpadi, said she had bought rice and a few other provisions so that she would be able to manage during the long lockdown.
S. Raja, proprietor of Sri Murugan Departmental Store at Kottivakkam, said: “People are coming in for purchasing. I would say that apart from the routine customers, the crowd increased by 30-40% today. The first lockdown was a surprise. Now people have understood how things function,” he said.
P. Dinesh Ramanathan, who runs Sri Bramasakthi Store on Sivaprakasam Street, Pondy Bazaar, said that people had been walking in but not like what it was during the first lockdown. “But yes, they are buying in huge quantities for the next two weeks. We did not see long queues in front of our shops but the counters have been busy throughout the day with people walking in,” he said.
A. M. Vikramaraja, president, Tamil Nadu Vanigar Sangankalin Peramaipu, said the lockdown was a welcome move since it would help reduce numbers of COVID-19 in the city. “We have suggested an even more stringent lockdown where not a single shop would be open. That would keep people in their homes,” he said.