Enthusiastic shopping for forthcoming festivals is likely to augment number of COVID-19 patients in the district. Unregulated gathering of customers at festival markets decked up with attractive gift items is floating all norms of COVID-19 protocol as competent authorities have failed in implementation of social distancing and unwanted crowds at public places.

It may be noted that the District Magistrate has declared two days’ complete lockdown from Friday evening to break the chain of coronavirus infection and checking the increasing graph of COVID-19 patients in the district.

Taking a note on two days’ complete lockdown, a large number of residents reached markets for purchasing Rakhis and other commodities. The situation is likely to spread the disease amongst residents. A Rakhi shop owner, when asked about maintaining social distancing at his shop, replied that they did not enough time for sanitisation of customers’ hands and maintaining social distancing. On the other hand, customers also kept aside the precautionary measures and gathered at shops in busy market places. Customers were seen selecting designer Rakhis and other stuff at roadside shops in absence of any check on COVID-19 protocol.