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City chooses lockdown to ensure ‘best practice’ keeps coronavirus at bay
With officials tightening quarantine measures, residents gear up for life at home in the near-term
Sarasbaug is always crowded. On Tuesday, it was deserted. It was the same at Tulshibaug, a one stop destination for the sale of household items; and Fergusson college (FC) road, ground-zero for the young and restless, given the many popular hangouts located here.
The impact of confirmed Covid-19 (coronavirus) cases in Pune and the measures taken by the government to stem the spread of the virus has drastically altered the lives of Punekars, for whom places like Sarasbaug, Tulshibaug and FC road will now join a long list of no-go areas in the city.
Dagadusheth Halwai temple has also closed its doors to ensure the virus is not spread in crowded areas.
While schools, colleges, public parks and malls have been shut on the orders of the government authorities, many establishments such as bars, restaurants and retail traders have voluntarily opted for closure.
Punekars have begun making amends to their routine lives and have adopted social distancing.
For a city like Pune, where the katta culture – gathering for a chit-chat on various topics – is at the centre of social bonhomie, the newly imposed lockdown is not easy to incorporate.
“My family has not stepped out of the house. With me, my two daughters, with much whining are also staying put as their schools have shut down,” said Salil Deshpande, an IT professional who has been working from home since Pune detected its first Covid-19 positive case on March 9.
For him, it’s a dual responsibility to complete his ongoing project and look after daughters, as his wife continues to go to her office, which hasn’t taken a call on work from home.
Pune’s positive case tally reached 17 as of Tuesday.
When a man in his 60s sneezed at a bank in Bibvewadi on Monday, everyone became extra cautious while some of them without masks brought out handkerchiefs to cover their noses. “Uncle, please stay home rather than sneeze,” said one of the customers at the bank.
The same fear is prompting many to not use public transport, a result of which is the overall footfall for Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) buses has drastically gone down; it’s the same with long distance trains.
For many, staying at home means watching more movies and reading books. While most essential services are functioning, fear of total closure IS driving many to hoard essential items.
Lockdown: Boon or bane?
For senior citizens, the Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) move to shut down all 202 public parks has created a problem for their morning, or evening, walks. Most have now started to take their walks within their residential society premises. For outstation youth, the shutting down of colleges has turned out to be a boon as many of them are headed to their home towns. However, on the government front, weekly offs and holidays of officials involved in essential services have been cancelled as staff from various departments galvanise in fight against coronavirus.
“From Wednesday onwards most government offices will be closed even as staff involved in essential services will be on duty,” said Deepak Mhaisekar, divisional commissioner.
