Royapuram residents flout norms even after 5,000 cases

Chennai

On the streets of Royapuram and neighbourhood, very rarely does one come across people with masks, including senior citizens who are in the high-risk category. The common reason they cite is that they have difficulty in breathing when they wear it.

Vasanthi K, a 71-year-old woman from PV Koil Street in Royapuram, said she comes out because she felt lonely while staying indoors. Outside, she has neighbours to talk to, she added. But she does not wear a mask. “Earlier, I used to wear masks. But after a few minutes, I would feel uncomfortable and get breathing problems. So, I stopped wearing masks. When I go shopping, I cover my face with saree,” she said.

In the evenings, youngsters here are seen moving about without wearing masks or maintaining social distance. Though the police officials warn them for not wearing masks and even distributed it to them, they still don’t follow the instructions.

“When the lockdown was imposed, the street was quiet and we could not find anyone roaming around. But for the past few weeks, there are youth on the street without masks. We have tried telling them to stay inside their house till the lockdown ends or at least wear a mask while going out, because our locality has the highest number of COVID cases. But nobody cares; we see them the next day without the masks,” said a resident of Thiruvalluvar Nagar in Old Washermenpet.

The shopkeepers in the area claimed that they do not allow customers who fail to wear masks or maintain social distance, but admitted that it was difficult to make the public follow the basic rules. Sridevi, who runs Kuniram stores in Royapuram, said, “We don’t sell things if the customer is not wearing masks. Sometimes the shop will be crowded so it would be difficult to maintain social distancing and handling the crowd. Even if we ask them, they don’t listen to us.”

When contacted, a senior Greater Chennai Corporation official from Royapuram zone said they have sealed several shops in the zone for not maintaining social distancing. Those who do not wear masks are imposed fine by the traffic police. But strict enforcement is proving to be a tough task for them. “We are taking action against the people who violate the rules. But they don’t cooperate. The cases will come down only if they support us by following the instructions. We are also giving masks for those who are found without one. But they don’t show any effort in following the norms,” admitted the official.