A day ahead of Sunday lockdown, people thronged vegetable and meat markets to stock groceries. Working professionals, who usually make grocery shopping on a weekly basis on Sundays, were forced to do it a day earlier due to the new restrictions. Many bought fish and chicken for the Sunday.
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At Kasivilangi Fish Market, customers made a beeline to buy fish, undeterred by high prices due to the 60-day fishing ban. “We find it difficult to source fish and are forced to increase the prices. However, our regular customers continue to patronise us,” R. Prabha, a vendor, said.
Social distancing norms were ignored in the market, but vendors were content with the sales. “With the COVID-19 second wave and Sunday lockdown, we were worried about our business. Although we are incurring some losses, sales like these make us happy,” he said.
Some of the customers said they had no choice but to buy meat and fish a day earlier. “We cook non-vegetarian food in our house only on Sundays. Due to the lockdown, we have to buy and store it for a day,” P. Bharathi, one of the customers, said.
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At vegetable markets and grocery stores too the footfall was higher than usual. “We have run out of some of our stocks because of the afternoon rush. As these customers will not step out of home till Monday morning, all essential goods are purchased and stocked," a grocery shop owner in Woraiyur said.