COVID-19 lockdown: People stay indoors as cops patrol Noida roads

Officials sealed a residential society in Greater Noida (West) where an elderly woman and his son have tested positive for coronaviru while people stayed indoors working from home due to the lockdown in Gautam Buddh Nagar, which reported no fresh COVID-19 case on Monday.

People in the district, adjoining Delhi, remained indoors, several of them working from home but some individuals and vehicles were seen on the roads too, even as the police were on ground to enforce the lockdown.

Gautam Buddh Nagar has so far reported eight positive cases of coronavirus, nearly one-third of the cases in Uttar Pradesh, officials said.

 

Besides this district, 15 others are on a three-day lockdown from Monday morning, banning all public activities and work except essential services.

"Nirala Greenshire in Greater Noida (West) has been sealed from 10 am on Monday till 7 am on Wednesday for sanitisation work as per the protocol to be followed in areas where coronovirus positive cases are found. Entry and exit have been closed in the society except for emergency situations. Any violation of order would invite legal action," District Magistrate B N Singh said in an order.

A 62-year-old woman and her 37-year-old son, who returned from Denmark recently, tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday.

While some people said they faced problems travelling to and fro Delhi with police sealing off the Noida border to ensure no cross-border movement, others said they had a hassle-free day vis-a-vis procuring essential supplies amid the lockdown.

Greater Noida resident Ritika, who works in Gurgaon, said there was no problem in procuring essential stuff and the prices too were normal.

"I am working from home. It's been a quiet and peaceful day so far. I went for a quick walk with my dogs early in the morning and have been inside my home the whole day. The society grocery shop is open and pricing for essentials like milk, curd, bread are the same as usual. Domestic helps are absent though but the society has the essential staff like the plumber, electrician and sanitary workers," she told PTI.

Sector 78 resident Ankur Saxena said he spent the day catching up on web series and new content on online streaming services like Netflix, Voot and YouTube.

Noida Federation of Apartment Owners Association (NOFAA) president Rajiv Singh said between 7 am and 9 am there seemed a "surge" in vehicle traffic on roads in Sector 50.

"It looked as if there was no lockdown and I don't think there could have been so many emergencies. What looks to me that people are still not aware of the consequences if social distancing is not brought into practice sincerely and will defeat the purpose of the lockdown," he said.

In Greater Noida (West) also known as Noida Extension people largely remained indoors.

"The situation here is ok and people are mostly inside their homes, as per the lockdown. A few people and cars were seen on the roads but largely it's deserted," said Abhishek Kumar, president of the Noida Extension Flat Owners Welfare Association (NEFOWA).

Earlier in the morning, some people and children in Sector 5's Harola village had thronged an open gym despite the lockdown but were soon sent back to their homes by Noida Authority officials.

"Open gyms, besides all other public facilities, have been closed down due to the coronavirus threat. These public spaces are also being sanitised regularly and the public is being asked to stay indoors," Noida Authority General Manager Rajeev Tyagi said.

So far, 324 samples have been sent for coronavirus test, out of which eight have tested positive, 228 tested negative, while results for 90 were awaited by Monday evening, according to the health department.

A total of 1,731 people were under surveillance, while 155 isolated/quarantined in hospitals in Gautam Buddh Nagar, it added.

Earlier, four Noida residents from sectors 41, 74, 78, 100, one in Greater Noida's Alpha 1 and one Delhi-based man had tested positive for coronavirus in Gautam Buddh Nagar, the officials said.

People can use helpline numbers 807662361, 6396776904 (health department) and 0120-2569901 (administration) round-the-clock to get their queries related to COVID-19 answered, they added.

Uttar Pradesh has so far reported 28 coronavirus cases, including one foreigner, while across India the number of COVID-19 cases stood at 415 as of Monday morning, the Union Health Ministry said.