PUDUCHERRY: If you want to enjoy a drink at a bar, then be prepared for a COVID-19 test. The Puducherry health department has started testing in bars as part of COVID control measures in the Union territory. The testing began at Dhanalakshmi bar on Ranga Pillai Street at around 6 pm on Tuesday catching tipplers by surprise.
The testing team had put up a table and chair just near the entrance and those who came to the bar were tested. Since it was a Rapid Antigen test (RAT), the results were also known immediately. Noticing the testing, some people tried to avoid it by taking the other entrance to the bar. The team also tested members of the public passing on that road including women.
While tipplers found it to be a nuisance, the administration justified it, saying it was a part of COVID control measures to test people in crowded places and prevent the spread of the virus. Bar owners are also upset as they are looking for business after they were permitted to open earlier this month, following seven months of closure.
Lt Governor Kiran Bedi has said that the administration has decided to focus on COVID control and prevention measures in the fish and meat market, Sunday markets, Uzhavar Sandhai, shopping areas and other places in view of the festive season.
Accordingly, the testing has been started in a bar on Tuesday, said an official. It will be done in other bars as well as all crowded places, he said.
The government is also planning to decongest the Sunday market. The crowd will be regulated at high footfall locations like malls, markets and religious places, he said.