For a city where forming queues is not part of the culture, enforcing social distancing has been a challenge.
From drawing boxes and circles outside establishments to hiring security guards to ensure proper distancing, grocery shops, pharmacies and banks have tried several measure to ensure Delhiites fall in line while maintaining a distance.
“It takes just one person to request everybody to adhere to social distancing and then they follow. It is not like people are unaware of the concept... they just forget that they have to,” said Govind Rishi, a resident of GK.
Good reminder
It helps when stores draw circles outside their shops as it reminds people that they are expected to maintain a distance, he added.
For many, seeing wide adherence to social distancing has come as a surprise. “I went to buy medicine at a shop in Laxmi Nagar and was amazed to see people following the social distancing rule by standing inside marked circles outside the shop. Now, people are falling in line,” said Amit Yadav, a resident of east Delhi.
In riot-hit north-east Delhi, people could be seen lining up outside shops and maintaining social distance without the assistance of any circles or markings, where shops selling essential commodities like medical shops and grocery stores, people maintained social distance on their own accord and in absence of any markings.
Many shopkeepers have put up ropes in front of the counters to maintain distance.
“We stand at a distance from one other whether or not in queues. The governments are doing their best and we should play our part too,” said Ali Raza, a 39-year-old resident of Mustafabad who had come to buy medicines.
Exception
In Greater Noida’s Omega 1 market next to the Yamuna Expressway Authority, social distancing norms took a backseat.
Shoppers wore masks but did not refrain from physical contact with each other as they thronged payment counters and bumped into each other along the narrow isles at the Everyday Shopping Mart and the Soni Superstore. Unlike many shops, the stores were not capping the number of customers allowed inside at one time, leading to overcrowding.
There was no cap on the number of customers inside either store which, in turn, led to congestion inside.
