100% crowd in Madurai before 100% Corona lockdown (Video)

MADURAI: The tension and anxiety among people of Madurai was at peak today as thousands of them turned up since early in the morning at markets and grocery shops in preparation for the total lockdown from 26th to 29th April.

Fearing the full closure of shops for four days, men and women thronged vegetable markets and retail shops to purchase adequate quantities for the next four days. The huge rush at ‘Uzghavar Sandhai’ vegetable market in B.B.Kulam and at Avaniapuram in Madurai on 25th April morning sums up the story of people’s anxiety in this temple city.

The State Government had announced total lockdown from 26th April morning in a bid to control Coronavirus transmission and bring down the positive cases through complete closure in Chennai, Madurai, Coimbatore, Salem and Tirupur. There will be a very strict vigil on two-wheelers and four-wheelers.  

Today, people waited in queue for a long time to enter into the vegetable market at BB Kulam while the crowds were large before retail shops too. The four-day lockdown is seen as an effective way to check Corona and prevent community transmission at this stage.

Social distancing aside, there were long distance queues in Madurai markets. And by noon, the time was over and it was time for people to return home and be indoors fully for four days starting from tomorrow morning till 9 pm on 29th April 2020.