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.
Panic buying
Given essential services won’t be available through the day, the city witnessed panic buying on Monday evening. “We saw increased footfall in our store, probably because of the announcement of a lockdown. People were buying bread, biscuits, condiments, and other groceries,” said Rajashekhar, who runs a supermarket in Vidyaranyapura. Even vegetable and fruit vendors did brisk business on Monday evening.
“I purchased staples like dal, flour and rice in bulk, enough to last two weeks. This way, I won’t have to keep going to the local market every morning. The timing is also inconvenient because I start work by 7.30 a.m. Last year, I would go in the afternoon to buy fresh produce,” said Anjana.
The other place that saw visibly long queues were liquor stores. Worried that the government would not allow alcohol to be sold, many queued up outside wine shops. It was later announced that they would also remain open in the morning for a few hours. “Last year during lockdown, there was a ban on sale of liquor making many habitual drinkers desperate. Since the media has been going to town over another lockdown, many queued up to replenish their stocks at home,” said Somashekhar, who runs a bar and restaurant in Yelahanka.
