In Bengaluru’s Commercial Street, the central commercial hub of the city, there’s usually so much foot traffic that often, people trip on each other’s feet. In the weekends, especially, the street is packed with people who are out shopping.
However, all that has changed this weekend. With the Janata Curfew around the corner, the public has been instructed to stay indoors and not go to crowded places due to the coronavirus pandemic.
On Saturday, instead of the usual crowd, noise, traffic and heavy shopping, shopkeepers, who had little to no business, decided to take their minds off the dip in sales by playing cricket on Commercial Street.
One of the shopkeepers said, “We used to play like this every Sunday in 1994. Until around 2000, we were able to play cricket here. After that, things changed.”
Another shopkeeper said, “We haven’t had the opportunity to do this in the last 20 years. Now, due to the coronavirus, we can play cricket on the street again.”
Though food markets and other essential services will continue to function, entertainment and shopping are off limits, with the Karnataka government mandating the closure of schools, theatres, malls and public gatherings until March 31.
Roads across Bengaluru saw an unprecedented lack of traffic this week, with the government advising a work from home policy.
Social media users shared photos of the empty roads, commenting on how such a sight is rare in Bengaluru which is infamous for its traffic.
Bangalore roads are so empty today morning .......
— #RRR (@naveentilak) March 18, 2020
Never in Last 10 yrs #corona #Coronaindia #COVID2019india pic.twitter.com/L0VKJJUIgp
The Janata Curfew was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi who called it a ‘citizen-led’ curfew. However, the Bengaluru Police Commissioner has reportedly said that anyone found outside during the curfew will be booked by the police for violating it.
All inputs by Suman Roddam.