Guwahati: Amid whispers of community transmission of the much-dreaded COVID-19 in Assam, the Dima Hasao district administration on Sunday had announced a total lockdown in the district with an aim to control the spread of the much-dreaded virus.
Yesterday, the hill district's Deputy Commissioner Paul Barua at a press conference that was held at the office chamber of the deputy commissioner in Haflong formally announced that a lockdown -- often seen as a last resort to stall the spread of this easily transmissible disease -- would indeed be clamped. A somber Barua announced that 5 frontline officials were the latest to be exposed to the virus, and cautioned the district's inhabitants to abide by the Centre-announced guidelines -- which are more or less the same all across the country.
A policeman tries to enforce social distancing
However, fast forward to Monday, July 6, and absolute pandemonium ensued on the streets of Haflong, by far the largest town in Dima Hasao. In greater Haflong area, only 7 grocery shops were allowed to open on a designated day, and it seemed like a sea of shoppers, out on panic-buying sprees, thronged the market area.
Heavy rush at the bazaar
The kind of display that was witnessed -- with social distancing very much an alien concept -- it became very much evident that 7 shops were hardly enough to fulfill the needs of the greater Haflong denizens.
When people started heading homewards
And oh, what is this? Although the administration had ordained and appealed the public to keep their vehicles in their houses and walk on foot to their nearest market, the streets were choc-a-bloc with vehicles. In fact, the rush on the streets was such that one could easily be forgiven for assuming that it was a peak market day. Although many people did cover their face with masks as per the Government directives, there were many who were roaming around on the streets mask-less. To their credit, though, some of the shoppers had the common sense to cover their noses and mouths with handkerchiefs, as if willing the words "go, corona go" into reality with their resolve.
The Rules and Regulation for the new phase of Lockdown in Dima Hasao: