COURTESY HT NOV 25

City puts safety norms on back burner
A spot check by HT at four locations that receive a high footfall painted a dim picture, as people were seen clustering without masks and spitting in open spaces in contravention of guidelines

PHOTOS: Parveen Kumar/HT

Leena Dhankhar

leena.dhankhar@htlive.com

Gurugram : Shoppers at city’s busy markets and visitors at other prominent locations, such as parks and malls, continue to flout safety norms of social distancing and mask hygiene — the two most important ways to curb the spread of Covid-19 — even as cases continue to peak this month, following the festive season and onset of winter.

HT tagged along with police patrol teams last week to four prominent locations, including markets and parks, where rampant violation of the rules pertaining to Covid-appropriate behaviour was noticed. Despite awareness campaigns and penal provisions, visitors to public places seem dismissive of the safety norms in place, with many telling the enforcement teams that the virus would not affect them.

Experts say that wearing masks is crucial in containing the infection as symptoms only appear after four to five days of getting infected. It is likely that during this period, patients might not develop usual symptoms of cough, fever or difficulty in breathing, but can still spread the infection to others. A paper published in the New England Journal of Medicine in June found that Covid-19 can also be spread by those who have very mild disease and do not show any symptom. Studies show that mask can reduce the growth rate of coronavirus infection by 40%.

Even fines do not seem to deter violators or promote safe practices among those reluctant to wear masks. Between July 9 and November 20, the police has levied 89,582 penalties for violation of Covid-19 guidelines and collected over Rs 4.47 crore. The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG), which also delegates teams to check for violations, has collected a fine of over Rs 13 lakh till October, as per the data available with the state government.

The police said that more than 1,200 people, on an average, are fined every day for not wearing masks. There are 86 police teams, comprising 900 personnel in all, deployed across the city.

Sadar Bazar

Around 11am on a weekday, groups of visitors from nearby villages throng the shops, with hardly any distance between one another. Many of them can be seen not wearing masks even as they continue to visit different stores to do their purchasing.

Hardeep Hooda, station house officer, City police station, said that at least 26 hawkers and shop owners have tested positive for the virus, so far, in November. “It is the biggest market in the city and people from nearby villages visit here for purchasing groceries, clothes and other stuff. It has been observed that many do not follow safety measures and at least 200 people are penalised Rs 500, each, every day. Many of them tell us that their immune system is so strong that they cannot get affected by this virus,” he said.

Bhupinder Singh, a resident of Badli village, who was visiting the market with his family to do the shopping for his daughter’s wedding, said, “The virus does not attack Jats.” Further, he said that his immunity is strong as he drinks fresh milk, consumes desi ghee and fresh vegetables grown in his fields. “I have never fallen sick in the last 45 years; nor does my family have any history of illness. We eat healthily and remain fit. Covid cannot affect us even if we do not wear a face mask,” he said.

Singh and his four family members were fined for Rs 2,500 in total and given free masks.

Many people in the market were seen removing their masks to cough, while many just wore the masks incorrectly, without totally covering their mouths and nostrils. Outside the juice shops, people could be seen sharing containers and spitting in the open, paying no heed to the guidelines.

KK Rao, the commissioner of police, said that they have penalised 434 shop owners in the last two months. “In many shops, there were no sanitisers placed despite repeated warnings. With the number rising, we are taking the help of the market associations to spread awareness. Assistant commissioners of police are visiting markets in their area every day to ask grocery shop owners and others to wear masks,” he said.

Kamla Nehru Park

At Kamla Nehru Park in Sadar’s Roshan Pura, people were penalised for walking in groups.A group of athletes, sharing water bottles during a practice session, said that they consumed more than 300ml of desi ghee daily and they are strong enough to fight the virus. They were also penalised.

Rao said more than 5,000 people caught without masks in the last few weeks claimed to have recovered from the virus and thus, did not need to wear masks any longer. “People are getting careless and some of those who have recovered are moving around as if they are allowed to violate rules,” he said.

Dharmender Kadiyan, a resident of village Chimni near Jhajjar, said he had been penalised eight times this month, but he still does not carry a mask. “I find it difficult to breathe with the mask on. Walking and running is not possible with a cloth on your mouth and nose.”

Subhash Chowk

Visitors to malls along the Sohna Road were seen entering the premises without wearing masks and many instances of disagreements were observed when they were asked to use sanitisers and purchase a mask. The police said the habit of wearing masks is on the wane.

A team of police officials deployed at Subhash Chowk also continue to penalise autorickshaw drivers for crowding. Many were seen ferrying up to 14 people, despite the vehicles having a seating capacity of six.

People at public places are behaving as if there is no coronavirus, said Dinesh Kumar, the station house officer of Sadar police station. “With the rising number of coronavirus cases, we have removed hawkers from Subhash Chowk. More than 15 of them tested positive this month,” he said.

Two hawkers who sell paranthas and fruits at the crossing said they did not get their tests done due to a fear of losing out on business.

Vyapar Kendra

The Vyapar Kendra in Sushant Lok-1 is one of the most tightly packed markets in the city, with 200 shops, 140 offices and many makeshift kiosks selling food, clothes and other sundry items vying for space on a six-foot-wide corridor, which snake up and down the building’s five floors, including the basement.

With a daily footfall of over 3,000 people, at least 100 customers are fined every day, said police.

Shopkeepers at the market said they are concerned over a lack of discipline among visitors, as they openly flout the regulations in place. However, they are fearful of losing out on customers if they object to a lack of mask hygiene.

Shyam Sunder, a shopkeeper, said, “When I request people to use sanitisers, they say they have just used in the last shop and deny to rub it again. They remove their mask and talk. Asking them to pull it up gives an impression of arrogance. Last week, when I objected a man for not wearing a mask, he caught hold of me and abused me.”

Sarika Devi, a resident of Sushant Lok-1 Block A, was fined for leaving her mask hanging. She told the police team that she was coughing and with the mask on, she was unable to breathe. When the police tried to impose on her the importance of masks, she alleged that it is a way to harass the public and earn money. “I had a mask and I was about to wear it, but cops caught me and issued a fine,” she said.

Tej Singh, the president of the market association, said that they regularly make announcements through speaker systems for visitors to wear face masks. “But people are still very careless and do not pay any heed,” he said.