Social distancing makes a mark outside shops in Lucknow

Chalk circles have been marked before medicine and general merchant shops in some areas of the state capital so that each customer stands at least one metre apart

Chalk circles have been marked before medicine and general merchant shops in some areas of the state capital so that each customer stands at least one metre apart from the next buyer to practise social distancing amid the nationwide lockdown to fight the Sars-Cov-2 pathogen.

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The step has been taken with the help of civil defence volunteers even as the administration has allowed stores dealing in essential goods to remain functional from 6am to 11pm.

Lucknow divisional commissioner Mukesh Meshram said, “We are making arrangements so that people do not face inconvenience. We have ordered to keep shops selling essential goods open throughout the day. So, we also have to ensure that people do not rush to the stores. These spots have been marked to remind people about social distancing.”

Social media was flooded with such pictures and videos on Monday.

Obaid Sajid, a medicine shop owner in Mulayamnagar here, said, “Some district administration and civil defence volunteers marked the area so that people could stand some distance apart. People also followed it.”

Such an arrangement has also been made in some other areas, including Arjunganj and old Lucknow.

Meanwhile, people have been using the emergency police response service 112 to seek help from the police for their essential requirements. A police response vehicle (PRV) on Wednesday got medicines delivered to a senior citizen in Lucknow’s Narhi area when he told the police about his need.