Coronavirus: Deserted restaurants in Delhi, commuters avoiding public transport

The coronavirus outbreak in Delhi has alarmed the residents of the city with many choosing to maintain minimal physical contact in public places, avoiding use of public transport as much as possible, and deserted restaurants painting a gloomy picture.

From plush Connaught Place to Karol Bagh market, both otherwise bustling with crowds on Tuesday, wore a sparse look, with shopowners waiting for customers and parking lots having less cars than usual.

Suresh Kumar, 45, an auto-rickshaw driver, said, he has never seen Delhi like this before.

"Such gloomy feel to the city. I have been driving an auto-rickshaw since mid-90s here, but I have never seen CP like this. It is always so full of life, people jostling to hire an auto, but since morning i have had just three riders. It doesn't feel good," he told PTI.

Kumar says, the coronavirus epidemic has not just destroyed the health of people, its aftermath has "scared people to the core".

A businessman, who has a shop in Connaught Place, on the condition of anonymity, said, "I have stopped using phone and other objets of people, and politely tell them no. It is for my safety, though it may sound rude."

"Many visitors ask to click their pictures from their phones, I just say no," he said.

Restaurants, eateries, paan-shops and tea-selling points in many places in Delhi, where people otherwise gather during office recess hours, to chit-chat and shoot the breeze, wore deserted looks.

Sellers of pakode, samose, chhole-kulche and other snack items rued about the situation, saying "corona has hit our livelihood too".

"We earn through this means only, and now that too is not happening. How will we survive," said Ramesh Kumar who sells pakodas in a south Delhi market.

Many people are choosing to travel to work or other places by own vehicles and avoiding using public transports, cabs and even metro trains.

"I am getting very few riders now, ever since the deadly disease outbreak was reported in Delhi. People are choosing to go by their own cars. Coronavirus has hit our business. Hope things don't worsen from here," said Mohammed Abdul, a cab driver.

Delhi has seen seven positive cases, including a patient who died on March 15.

Amid coronavirus cases reported in the national capital, the civic body in north Delhi on Monday issued an order to owners of hotels, guest houses, malls, restaurants and other recreational establishments to ensure that proper sanitisation facility is available at entry points of their premises.

The order from the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) also said that these establishments should ensure no crowding or gathering at one particular site.

The Delhi government on Thursday had declared coronavirus an epidemic and shut all cinema halls, schools and colleges, except those where exams are on, till March 31.

"All the hotel, motel, guest houses will ensure that proper sanitisation facility (washing with soap and water/alcohol-based sanitiser) is available at the entry point of their respective establishments. Further, they will also ensure that there is no crowding or gathering at one particular site in the premises," the NDMC order said.

Many restaurants and other big stores in the Connaught Place have put hand sanitisers at entrance as well as inside the premises.

"As a precaution, we had put sanitisers at the main entrance and on each of the tables too at our restaurant, a week before the order by authorities. We want our patrons to feel completely safe. But, anyway, restaurants are deserted in general, as people are keeping at home as much as possible it seems," a manager at a plush restaurant said.

The COVID-19 outbreak which has been declared a pandemic by the WHO has infected at least 126 people in India, and claimed three lives. 

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