Crowds are back in malls, restaurants after two months of Covid-19 lockdown

Having witnessed empty streets and locked up shops for two months during the lockdown, Bengaluru returned to near normalcy on Monday with the state government opening up almost all sectors.

Large turnouts in markets and shopping malls resembled a festive rush with people enthusiastically flocking public places setting aside Covid fears. Malls were well prepared for the rush and have put all Covid restrictions in place.

Nearly 50 malls in key shopping areas were opened to the public. They allowed only those with masks after thermal scanning.

With multiplexes, theatres and children's play areas remaining shut, crowds were thin. In fact, crowds were thin in the malls compared to hotels.

Garuda Mall threw open its doors by inaugurating a vaccination centre and administered vaccines to a few visitors and staff.

Manoj Singh, Cluster Director, Nexus Malls, said the turnout was double this time compared to last year’s unlock after the first wave.

“This is still only 30% of our business. We are expecting the multiplexes to open soon, and it will promote more footfall,” he added.

The business was brisk at hotels and restaurants with a steady arrival of patrons. Tired of eating parcelled food, people turned up in large groups to savour lunch and dinner at popular eateries. With the government allowing dining till 9 pm, nearly 10,000 hotels and restaurants began full-time services.

A reasonable crowd could be seen in restaurants around MG Road, Church Street, Koramangala and Indiranagar.

Places of worship also recorded good turnout following their reopening, with the Banashankari temple in Bengaluru South receiving 700 devotees.

Crowds were particularly heavy in vegetable and flower shops at KR Market.

Unlike malls, commercial establishments and temples, these markets struggled to enforce Covid rules as people completely disregarded social distancing and wore masks haphazardly.

Notorious traffic jams back

Traffic jams returned to city roads, while buses and Namma Metro recorded increased ridership. Traffic movement was slow during the peak hours on Tumakuru Road, Hebbal, Sheshadri Road, Old Madras Road, parts of Outer Ring Road and other areas as a large number of people ventured out.

Traffic jams were seen in places like KR Market, KR Road, Lalbagh Road, Mekhri Circle, Majestic and parts of the Central Business District.

Buses were full during the peak hours with passengers standing, even as the metro ridership crossed the one-lakh mark. BMRCL officials said the tentative ridership was 1.06 lakh by the time operations ended at 8 pm. The numbers are expected to increase in the coming days.

Prohibitory orders

Following Unlock 3, City Police Commissioner Kamal Pant issued prohibitory orders across Bengaluru banning a gathering of more than four people in public places.

“People should not crowd or congregate in public places. However, the rule is not applicable to metro stations, bus stands and railway stations. All citizens must comply with the Covid protocols of the state government. Any violations will be dealt with seriously," the order said.

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