Coranavirus Impact: Vegetable marts springing up in playgrounds; we did a spot check on one of them

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is giving permissions to set up vegetable marts in local playgrounds across Bangalore, so that people can practice social distancing in a much better manner. While orderly queues were reportedly noticed in several places, there were others where people were seen standing quite close to each other. However, an open playground is way better than an air-conditioned supermarket. We decided to do a spot check of one such market in HSR Layout that had opened only a few days ago at BBMP Grounds in Sector 2. Here is what we saw.

As we had gone in the afternoons, there were hardly any buyers. However, while some vendors were wearing masks, many weren’t. Not a single person was wearing gloves either. The produce was fresh even in the afternoon while local supermarkets had empty shelves with rotting vegetables left behind by the shoppers. The pricing at the vegetable mart was comparable to those at the supermarket. The best way is to self-police the six feet distance between each shopper, and also wear a mask and keep the hands from touching the face, nose or eyes. Washing hands before and after shopping is a must in the time of corona.

Many buyers were seen walking up to the mart due to the police-imposed ban on vehicle movement, while some were seen in vehicles as they had were buying in bulk and the mart was over a kilometre from where they stayed. “We shop once a week and if we were to walk, it would need multiple visits,” reasoned one shopper. “I am sure the police will understand our problem in case our vehicle is stopped.” When we looked around, there were hardly any cops on the roads. Perhaps, they were all having lunch or avoiding the heat. Only barricades were noticed on the main roads that said: “Curfew in Force: Entry Prohibited. Entry for authorised vehicles and persons only.” On the road, there were hardly a few walkers and vehicle users. One could spot people entering and exiting supermarkets and medical stores.

Meanwhile, online stores like Amazon and Flipkart are still struggling with deliveries. The city police is only issuing a limited number of passes to restrict movement, and this has hit everyone hard. Though Amazon and Flipkart announced that they have resumed delivery of essential goods, fresh orders are yet to be taken. Only those who had ordered two weeks ago have got their supplies delivered. It is not likely that this situation will improve until the lockdown is lifted. Therefore, residents are going on social media and praising the local provision stores and vegetable vendors who are helping them in this hour of need. Meanwhile, in New York where farmers’ markets are always a huge draw, many safety measures are being put in place to ensure social distancing as thousands throng the venues. In some cases, self-policing was also noticed, just the way it is being noticed even in some parts of Bangalore. Therefore, if you are going out shopping, we recommend that you visit these open-air vegetable marts as the produce was much fresher than the ones you might get at the crowded supermarkets. In addition, social distancing is more achievable out here than at the enclosed, air-conditioned supermarkets. If you want to avoid the crowds here, go during the afternoons when there are hardly any people.