NEW DELHI: Confusion prevailed among residents of some of the 20 COVID-19 hotspots in Delhi and those in Noida and Ghaziabad on the first day of ‘sealing’, with many people worried about smooth supply of daily essentials, especially milk and vegetables.
While announcing ‘complete lockdown’ on Wednesday, the authorities in Delhi and NCR had assured that essential goods will be home-delivered. But residents in some parts of the capital alleged on Thursday that the administration couldn’t ensure doorstep delivery of essential commodities.
“It was not clear as to how the commodities will be delivered. I have two children and so I panicked. A lot of misinformation, rumours and false news had started spreading. By late evening, it became clear that only Gandhi Park was sealed and not the whole of Malviya Nagar,” said Namita Sen, a resident of Khirki Extension.
Residents of Pratap Khand in Jhilmil Colony said people were unaware of any mechanism of ordering supplies and authorities had not made it clear yet. However, in Nizamuddin area, there were no complaints of difficulties in the procurement of daily necessities. According to the locals, the district administration and police had issued passes to grocery store owners and other vendors for doorstep delivery, so they faced no difficulty in procurement of daily essentials.
“Panic buying was seen soon after sealing of hotspots was announced, but on Thursday the situation was normal. Lanes were quiet. Mandatory passes were issued to suppliers of essential services,” said Syed Sajid Nizami, member of the family of the hereditary administrators) of 13th-century sufi-saint Hazrat Nizamuddin’s shrine. In Ghaziabad, an apartment complex in Vaishali Sector 6 a society was sealed with no movement in or out.
Three more deaths in Delhi, toll swells to 12
Three more COVID-19 deaths were reported in Delhi on Thursday, taking the toll to 12. A 65-year-old woman, admitted to RML Hospital with fever and breathlessness on April 4, succumbed. Another patient, 62, was also admitted at same hospital the same day. The third death, of a 47-year-old man, was reported at Apollo hospital His son has a travel history to Indonesia. Meanwhile, three more cancer patients admitted at Delhi State Cancer Institute have tested positive for coronavirus.