Stany Bela

Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru

Mangaluru, Mar 23: On Sunday, several states announced lockdown as a preventive measure for the ever spreading coronavirus (COVID-19). The Indian government is working extra hard to avoid the disastrous impact of the pandemic which has brought richest nations to their knees. However, carelessness was on display in some places where people are not adhering to instructions from the government. Similar actions were being committed by residents of Dakshina Kannada. The district which boasts of having a good number of literate crowd showcased an ignorant attitude and behaviour towards the lockdown.

The curfew which was ordered in the district from March 22 at 9 pm till midnight on March 31 has brought a halt on the traffic. Despite request from the district administration and the health authorities, majority of people from Dakshina Kannada and especially in Mangaluru city, came out on the streets, flocking shops and offices. In several places, police personnel could be seen urging motorists to stop and realise the dangers of coronavirus outbreak, but the violators of lockdown grew agitated and verbally abused the officers.

Early in the morning on Monday, central market witnessed heavy crowd rushing to make purchases. This was also the case for areas of Bunts Hostel, PVS circle, and Bendorewell. Adding to the mayhem, several hotels and shops opened for business which resulted in a lot of people gathering under a single roof. Although the state government ordered a strict ban on the movement of public transport, the city had auto-rickshaws and other taxis in service.

The roads which connect the city from Thokkottu, Bantwal, and Suratkal saw heavy traffic around 11 am. The efforts of Arkula police to stop traffic near Netravathi bridge, went in vain as the vehicles flooded in when an ambulance was allowed to pass.

“We are continuously requesting people to keep away. But no one seems to take our request seriously. Despite Sec 144, people in the city are venturing without thinking about the repercussions. I feel they are still unaware of the consequences of the deadly coronavirus. The disease can infect everyone, some can be asymptomatic and transfer the infection to a healthy person. Staying indoors for a few days is one of the primary solutions for the pandemic. So do not come out from homes and gather in public places until health authorities suggest," said a health inspector who wished to remain anonymous.

“These are educated people who are displaying foolish behaviour. Italy denied their fate for a long time and now are in a dire crisis where they are recording over 700 deaths per day. The city has already got their first coronavirus case, but people are unaffected by the news. Despite the orders of lockdown, they are gathering on the roadsides, in front of shops, and open areas. People are driving around without any fear," said Jagannath Karkera of Akashbhavan.

“On March 22 till 5 pm, we saw 100 per cent lockdown. As per the Prime Minister's request, everyone remained indoors, but when the time came for expressing gratitude to the doctors and people in the health department, or those on the frontline for their efforts against the deadly disease, people came out to the streets and made it a celebratory affair. The main object of Janata Curfew was to break the chain of the spreading virus. But the way people gathered in their balconies, compounds and terrace made it look like they did not understand the objective Janata Curfew,” he added.

Government and health authorities are focusing all their efforts to stop India from entering into stage 3 of the pandemic. But, without the support from the citizens, these efforts will not serve the purpose.