Unlocked, people celebrate Sunday

Almost after a month, people had a Sunday without complete lockdown in force and they used the most of it, by throwing social distancing norms to the wind as they flocked to meat shops and gathered for wedding ceremonies across the state. Many of them didn’t even bother to wear face masks.
While complete lockdown on Sundays were imposed in most part of the state only in August, in Madurai the same was enforced in June to control the Covid-19 spread. So, there were a slew of wedding ceremonies in Madurai.
The very reason for conducting a wedding on a Sunday is that it will help many to participate, said Ganeshan, whose niece got married with a participation of about 200 guests in Madurai.
Thangaraj, who conducted his daughter’s wedding in Madurai, said he took great effort to keep the number of guests below the stipulated 50. He said he ensured guests kept moving without spending a lot of time in the wedding hall or dining hall.
Many marriages took place across Madurai, where a large number of people turned up for the functions and many of them were seen without masks. “Wearing a mask while going to a wedding spoils my look. So, I carried my mask in my bag to wear if somebody questioned me,” said K Jothi, of Chinthamani.
Officials said monitoring of marriage halls would be tightened in the coming weeks.
Police had a tough time in Salem since scores of people on cars and two-wheelers started coming towards Yercaud. They were stopped at the foothills and sent away. “Only Yercaud residents can travel to and from the hill town without an e-pass. But many from Salem had planned for a trip to Yercaud since it was a Sunday and there was no lockdown. We sent them away, saying they need e-pass,” said a police officer.
In Coimbatore, the response was mixed. Some shops ensured social distancing, while others ignored. However, except for meat and fish stalls, which had long queues, all other commercial establishments remained closed in the city. Shopping malls also received only a few footfalls, despite the fact they were opened only a few days ago.
All the churches organized Sunday masses after a long time. Devotees were let in after thermal screening. Seating arrangements were made taking into account social distancing.
In Trichy, normalcy was restored to almost the pre-covid days, with markets witnessing huge crowd. V B Jeganath, a resident of Karumandapam, said, “Many people were seen on roads without face masks. While people fail to understand that Covid-19 is still active, authorities lack the will to penalise offenders.”