Normal life comes to a grinding halt on Day Two of weekend curfew in Kodagu

Activities in the district came to a standstill on the second day of the weekend curfew imposed by the state government in order to contain the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Streets in Madikeri wore an empty look. The usually crowded places such as the market, private bus stand and KSRTC bus stands were deserted. The vehicles stayed off the road.

People purchased the daily essentials such as milk, newspaper and vegetables between 6 am and 10 am.

Police placed barricades on the streets to prevent the movement of people and vehicles. Medical shops, petrol bunks and clinics were open during the day.

In Napoklu, the weekly shandy on Monday was cancelled. The Gram Panchayat issued instructions to the shopkeepers to strictly follow the Covid-19 guidelines.

The shops should not charge a high rate for the goods. In case of violation, strict action will be initiated, said the administration officials.

Selling vegetables, fruits and other items in open vehicles is banned.

Even though it was the weekly shandy in Suntikoppa, the market was empty on Sunday. The normally crowded Uluguli Road wore a deserted look.

People from rural areas preferred to purchase items from their nearby shops and did not visit the town.

In Virajpet too, the vehicles stayed off the road. People purchased essential items before 10 am and stayed indoors.

Police patrolled the private bus stand in Virajpet town, Gonikoppa Road, Field Marshal Cariappa Road, Murnad Road and other major junctions.

Construction workers were engaged in work at a few places, as usual.

Somwarpet Town Panchayat sanitised the streets on Sunday. There was a good response from the public, for the weekend curfew.

Agriculturists carried out activities in rural areas.

People throng meat stalls

During the curfew relaxation between 6 am and 10 am, people lined up in front of meat stalls in Kushalnagar, for Sunday’s special meal.

In Kudumangaluru Gram Panchayat limits, chicken meat was priced at Rs 99 per kg. People threw caution to the winds and thronged the stall to purchase meat.

Similar scenes were witnessed in other meat and vegetable stalls.

The people did not wear masks or maintain social distancing at the stalls. The local Gram Panchayat administration and the PDO turned a blind eye to the violation of Covid-19 norms and did not initiate any action.