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COVID-19: Despite Nationwide Lockdown, Panic Buying Sees Indians Crowding Shops & Streets

After a spike in coronavirus positive cases in across the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared a three-week nationwide lockdown starting midnight Tuesday, explaining that it was the only way of breaking the COVID-19 infection cycle. Despite the orders and the urgency, there are some people openly flouting the rules.

Anuj Tiwari Updated on Mar 25, 2020, 13:31 IST

After a spike in coronavirus positive cases in across the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared a three-week nationwide lockdown starting midnight Tuesday, explaining that it was the only way of breaking the COVID-19 infection cycle. Despite the orders and the urgency, there are some people openly flouting the rules.

People buy vegetables at a market after Prime Minister Modi announced a nationwide lockdown as preventive measure against the COVID-19 outbreak.

People gather at a pharmacy to buy supplies in Mumbai. PM Modi?appealed to people asking them not to panic but crowds quickly mobbed stores in the capital, Delhi, and other cities.?

After people started panic shopping the government clarified that the availability of essential commodities would remain the same?during the lockdown.

In his second address to the nation on the COVID-19 outbreak, PM Modi told people to stay inside their homes for 21 days, warning that if they didn’t do so the country would be set back 21 years and families would be destroyed.??

“Social distancing is the only way to break the cycle of coronavirus infection,” PM? Modi said.? But people took to the streets for? essential commodities?shopping after nationwide lockdown announced.

The government also issued a notification that said all essential services will remain open, as before, and all essential commodities and medicines would be available. Banks, ATMs, petrol pumps, hospitals and grocery shops will continue to function. However, all transport services like, air, rail and roadways will remain suspended until April 14.

Migrant workers and their families board a truck to return to their villages, in Ahmedabad.

“This is like a curfew, and far stricter than the ‘janata curfew,’” the PM said. “Seeing the present conditions, this lockdown will be for 21 days."

PM Modi said,? "This is to save India, save each citizen and save your family. Do not step outside your house."

Modi later appealed to the public to desist from panic buying as people began crowding markets to stock up before the midnight deadline.??

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Anuj Tiwari writes stories for SEO and is a Youtube wizard. An engineer turned social media champ, he keeps a track of all that goes around the world. His interest areas include historic events, political and social-sciences.

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