Delhi's Crowded Festival Markets Raise Covid Spike Concerns

Chock-a-block scenes from Delhi markets ahead of Diwali have raised fears of a spike in Covid infections.

Visuals from major markets such as Lajpat Nagar and Sadar Bazar show shoppers crowding outside shops. Many of them are seen without masks and there is no physical distancing whatsoever.

Sadar Bazar Market Association president Devraj Baweja said it was "chaos". "Festivals generally attract a big crowd but the authorities should have made elaborate arrangements to ensure that people follow Covid-appropriate behaviour. No one was seen wearing a mask or observing social distancing," he told news agency PTI.
Chandni Chowk Sarva Vyapar Mandal president Sanjay Bhargava said the administration needs to step up vigil to check violations of Covid guidelines.

"We have issued strict guidelines to the shopkeepers that no one without a mask should be allowed inside the shops and their thermal screening should also be done. But we cannot do anything about the unauthorised vendors as they do not follow the Covid norms," he said.

The national capital, which saw horrifying scenes of people scrambling for beds and oxygen cylinders during the second wave, has been clocking double digit case counts for months now. However, experts have warned that dropping the guard at this point can lead to a spike.

Ahead of the festival season, the centre warned states and Union Territories to ensure that Covid protocols are followed.

A recent survey, however, found that only 2 per cent of Indians think that people in their area are masking up and only 3 per cent feel that residents in their localities and districts are following distancing norms, the PTI reported.

The survey by LocalCircles, a digital community-based platform, received more than 39,000 replies from over 20,000 people across 366 districts.