‘Time limit on essential stores will lead to overcrowding’

The government’s decision to impose a two-week lockdown from Tuesday night triggered a spate of ‘panic buying’ as people thronged to grocery stores to pick up essentials. Many argued that the “tough r

The government’s decision to impose a two-week lockdown from Tuesday night triggered a spate of ‘panic buying’ as people thronged to grocery stores to pick up essentials. Many argued that the “tough rules” imposed by the State for the next two weeks seem to be more restrictive than the three-week national lockdown imposed by the Union government in March 2020. While essential services were allowed to function through the day during lockdown last year, this time around, grocery stores and dairy and meat shops will be open for a narrow four-hour window from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. This will lead to overcrowding during these hours. “On Saturday and Sunday, stores were full. I went to buy tomatoes, but on seeing the crowd at my local grocery store, I decided not to buy them,” said Priya S. from Banashankari III Stage.