After several days of bustling streets and crowded stores, Chennai saw a complete 360-degree change on Sunday following the complete lockdown. According to residents, while this shutdown has restricted their movements, the previous days’ crowds are counter-intuitive to the measure, and for restaurants, business fell sharply on the day.
The deserted Marina beach on the first total lockdown on Sunday.
Chennai:
Road traffic in the city was very low, while essential services were open for locals in their residential areas. Residents say that the restrictions did prevent them from stepping out for smaller tasks, but note that the rush on Saturdays negate this.
“My local grocery store was so crowded on Saturday, so while the shutdown has made sure everyone stays at home, the rush from the previous day affects everyone. Honestly, the quietness outside reminds me of last year, and the situation we were in then. We are in a worse condition now, and so this one-day restriction makes sense,” said Kaveri, a resident of Thiruvanmiyur.
Essential services like restaurants saw moderate to very poor business on Sunday, with business dropping to below 20-30 per cent for several local businesses.
“We were open only for delivery, but we saw less than 20 per cent of business on Sunday. We’ve seen poor business all this week, with less than 50 per cent of business from Monday. Despite the knowledge that restaurants are open, many are worried about ordering in during the total lockdown, despite repeated awareness on our safety measures,” said one restaurant owner in Anna Nagar.
With new restrictions starting on Monday, locals say they hope these measures will help curb the rising numbers in the State without affecting daily life, as was seen last year. Many are hesitant towards complete lockdowns, owing to the difficulties in access and travel, preferring time and safety restrictions.
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