Police used batons to beat Indians when queues to buy alcohol broke out of control today.
Liquor stores reopened for the first time in Indian states and cities including New Delhi following a slight relaxing of rules after 40 days of strict coronavirus lockdown.
Despite carefully drawn chalk circles showing shoppers where to stand to maintain social distancing the queues soon snaked along the road and people were pushed closer together.
The Indian Government’s harsh shutdown saw almost all activity banned from March 24 in an effort to stop the spread of the deadly virus. The country has since reported just 42,500 cases and around 1,400 deaths.
A policeman beat a shopper with a baton outside a wine shop in New Delhi, India, as a crowd grew out of control
One shopper, Asit Banerjee, 55, said he needed alcohol to ‘energise’ him as the coronavirus lockdown continued.
He said: ‘We have been in solitude for over a month. Alcohol will energise us to maintain social distancing during the pandemic.’
Mr Banerjee had joined a queue in Kolkata where police used lathi batons to control the crowds.
Elsewhere, including in Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, state police were forced to close down shops soon after they had opened as long queues of men in face masks snaked around the block.
‘One of the shops had opened in the morning but clashes broke out as a lot of crowd had gathered,’ a police officer said.
Police disperse people lining up to buy alcohol near a liquor shop in New Delhi using a lathi baton (pictured)
Despite carefully drawn chalk circles showing shoppers where to stand to maintain social distancing the queues soon grew out of control
Hundreds continued to loiter in neighbouring streets in the hope the shops would be allowed to reopen.
‘It’s not like I have anything to do at home,’ Deepak Kumar, 30, said as he waited patiently across the street from one outlet in New Delhi.
One lucky customer who managed to buy some wine, 25-year-old Sagar, said he went to a store in Delhi at 7.30am and found it had opened early.
‘There were about 20 to 25 people in the morning and the shop was open for about two hours,’ he told AFP.
‘People in rows of five were being allowed in. Now they’ve shut it.’
As police used force to stop people breaking social distancing rules the crowds started running (pictured)
In some states, including Maharashtra, certain liquor stores remained shut amid confusion over which outlets were allowed to open. While in others such as Assam they opened several days earlier.
Although illegal in some areas, including teetotaller Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state Gujarat, alcohol consumption has risen strongly in recent years as the country’s middle class has grown.
This is particularly true of spirits, with the country of 1.3 billion people reportedly guzzling almost half the world’s whisky, although much of it in reality is rum according to purists.
Lockdown caused misery for millions of workers in India’s vast informal sector. They have been left suddenly jobless as Covis-19 dealt a major blow to Asia’s third-biggest economy.
People lined up to buy alcohol outside a liquor shop after the government eased a nationwide lockdown imposed as a preventive measure against the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus
Queues snaked along the road as people waited to get into the shop to buy alcohol when strict lockdown measures were finally eased after 40 days
Shoppers stayed on the white markings and formed an orderly queue as they waited outside the Model Wine Shop in Allahabad
Adding to some relaxations for industry and agriculture last month, on Monday offices could operate with one-third capacity as well as some cars and motorbikes and certain shops.
On May 1 the Indian government announced they were extending lockdown for two more weeks, until May 28.
The home ministry said in a statement that in view of ‘significant gains in the COVID-19 situation’, areas with few or no cases would see ‘considerable relaxations’.
The government will continue stricter measures in places classified ‘red zones’, such as New Delhi and Mumbai, and ‘orange zones’, which have some cases. In ‘green zones’ or low risk areas, some movement of people and economic activities will be allowed, India’s home ministry says.
Air travel and passenger trains ground to a halt because of the lockdown and only the transport of ‘essential goods’ was allowed, causing major problems as well as considerable confusion for industry and agriculture.
A bird’s-eye view of New Delhi today from a high-rise building as the government-imposed nationwide lockdown was extended for another two weeks
Hundreds of thousands of migrant labourers were left jobless when India’s lockdown was put in place, prompting a huge exodus of people back to their home villages
In particular hundreds of thousands of migrant labourers were left jobless overnight, prompting a huge exodus of people back to their home villages, many on foot, and leaving many dependent on handouts.
However the stringent restrictions, currently running until today, have been credited with keeping confirmed cases of coronavirus so low.
But some experts have said the vast country of 1.3 billion, home to some of the most congested cities in the world where ‘social distancing’ is virtually impossible, is not testing enough.
In addition, there are concerns that if the virus catches hold in a big way, India’s health care system – poorly funded by international comparison – will be severely stretched.
The government said Friday that many activities will remain prohibited nationwide including air and rail travel – except for ‘select purposes’ – schools, restaurants and large gatherings such as places of worship.
Indian police officers wearing face masks during a nationwide lockdown in Bangalore today
The Red Fort from a high-rise building in New Delhi today. The Indian government will continue stricter measures in places classified ‘red zones’, such as New Delhi and Mumbai, and ‘orange zones’, which have some cases
Restrictions are being lifted largely according to what colour an area has been assigned in a government rating system.
India is split into red zones with ‘significant risk of spread of the infection’; green zones with zero cases or no confirmed cases in the past 21 days; and those in between as orange.
This reflects a high concentration of cases in many urban areas such as New Delhi, Mumbai, Pune and Ahmedabad but very few or none in many rural areas of the country.
Red and orange zones will continue to have intensified contact tracing, house-to-house surveillance, and no movement in or out except for medical emergencies and the supply of essential goods and services, the home ministry statement said.
Authorities have also been told to ensure in these areas ‘100 per cent coverage’ of the government tracing app Aarogya Setu, which has been criticised for potential security flaws and practical drawbacks and which has alarmed privacy campaigners.
Homeless people standing in a queue to get food during a government-imposed nationwide lockdown in New Delhi today
Exceptions in red zones include certain industrial activities and government offices, and in rural zones designated as red, agricultural activities and brick kilns.
In orange zones taxis are allowed as well as private cars and motorbikes conducting permitted activities with limited passenger numbers.
In green zones all activities are permitted except those banned nationally.
For the first time since late March, shops in green zones selling alcohol and chewing tobacco can open – but with six feet (two metres) between customers and only with no more than five people present.
Officials say the nation has bolstered its domestic production for key medical supplies like ventilators, oxygen and personal protective equipment.
The government says it currently had almost 20,000 ventilators and 43.8 million oxygen cylinders.
But with an expected surge in cases following the relaxation of some lockdown measures, officials estimated a demand of 75,000 ventilators and in the coming weeks. Of this, 60,000 will be manufactured in India.
India´s low testing rates is partly due to the unavailability of testing kits. The government estimates needing 3.5 million standard kits for its 1.3 billion people, who have been under a five-week lockdown.
India has recorded more than 35,000 coronavirus cases and 1,147 deaths.