Life resumes with the virus

NEW DELHI: Buses, cars autos are back on the road. Life appears to be normal in the city. the Central Government has eased the lockdown and the Government of Delhi has followed the suit. As usual heavy traffic is back on road and congestions are being reported area like ITO, Delhi-Noida highway etc. The streets were bustling with cars, two-wheelers, taxis and auto-rickshaws that were filled with office goers as private offices are now allowed to operate at full strength. The Delhi Transport Corporation has resumed inter-city transportation earlier in the week. There have been strict orders that movement should only be restricted between the timeframe of 7am to 7pm. Police officials are enforcing the order, as regular round ups of policemen can be observed in residential areas as well as on the roads.

The parks in the city, which are more than 14,000 in number, will be reopened to the public within the next two days. Popular parks like Lodhi Garden, Talkatora Garden and Nehru Park have been reopened. The parks would be opened for limited time and certain guidelines to move in the park would be observed. People can now visit the park between 7-10 am and 3.30-6.30 pm. Wearing masks would be compulsory and strict social distancing needs to be maintained at all times. The public gyms built in the parks are still not to be used. The municipalities expect people to voluntarily follow the norms as they are reportedly understaffed with enforcement staff. 

In a bid to restart the economy, shops have been reopened on odd-even basis. “Although we are permitted to open our shop on even days, routes to our shop are almost all closed. That has been a hindrance for us. We are also a little hesitant to recall our workers due to the virus,” said Siddharth Rawat, owner of Siddhartha Fashion, a tailoring shop in Ranibagh. The interstate movement, which has been allowed by the Centre under lockdown 4.0, has also provided a financial relief to people of Delhi.