MADURAI: A day after 13 people connected to Paravai wholesale market and Mattuthavani fruit market were reported positive to COVID-19, a survery conducted by Madurai MP Su Venkatesan revealed that only 30 per cent of the people in different market areas in Madurai wore face masks as per the guidelines.
Preceded by the MP, around 100 members of the CPM-affiliated Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) and Student Federation of India (SFI) conducted a survey on June 9 among the vendors and customers at the market areas including those at Vandiyur, Paravai and the vegetable, fruit and the fish markets in Mattuthavani. They also surveyed the drivers and loaded at Keelavasal and Yanaikkal. Of the 8,963 people involved in the survey, only 2,711 wore the face masks as per the norms, said Venkatesan.
"Highly crowded areas pose a great threat. According to the opinion of experts, Koyambedu had turned into a hotspot after onions were imported from Nashik in Maharashtra. Having learnt the lessons from Koyambedu clusters and its consequent effect on Chennai, we should prevent Madurai from becoming yet another Koyambedu," Venkatesan said.
Hundreds of vehicles carrying the farm products from different State and districts come into Madurai on a daily basis. "Madurai is the hub for vendors of the six southern districts. Even if one person gets affected, the virus would spread among the districts like a wildfire," he added.