By Arré Bench Mar. 25, 2020
The paranoia of the 21-day lockdown has led to incidents of violence against delivery executives of e-commerce companies and essential service workers. For some of these men and women on the frontlines of the fight against the coronavirus, there are risks beyond the disease.
As of midnight on March 25, India went into a 21-day lockdown after an address by PM Modi. The topic was the same as Modi’s last address: India’s measures to tackle the outbreak of Covid-19, the novel coronavirus that has rapidly spread worldwide and become a global pandemic.
Addressing the nation on battling the COVID-19 menace. #IndiaFightsCorona https://t.co/jKyFMOQO5a
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 24, 2020
The prime takeaway from Modi’s speech was that for the next 21 days, that is, until midnight on April 14, citizens are expected to treat every day like a curfew, and refrain from stepping out of their homes except in cases of emergency or dire need. Social distancing is our best tool in fighting the virus, Modi said, and he was not wrong. However, minutes after Modi concluded his address, which began at 8 pm, there was a sudden surge in citizens heading to neighbourhood stores looking to stock up for the lockdown. Ironically, this led to more crowds, precisely the thing that must be avoided to contain the coronavirus. Soon after going off air, the PM had to put out a tweet urging people to respect the lockdown and stay in their homes.
By converging around shops, you are risking the spread of COVID-19.
No panic buying please.
Please stay indoors.
I repeat- Centre and State Governments will ensure all essentials are available. https://t.co/bX00az1h7l
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 24, 2020
The reason citizens went into panic-buying mode was that even though home deliveries were supposed to be functional during the lockdown, the system ran into many glitches at the ground level, thus preventing delivery executives from getting their goods to their destination. The drama at shops led to heated scenes, like this one from Mumbai.
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But if deliveries were allowed, what was stopping the packages from reaching their rightful owners? It turns out, it was a miscommunication between police officials trying to uphold the lockdown measures and government authorities who did not make it clear that delivery executives were allowed on the road.
And these are some pictures of brutality across cities like Mumbai and Delhi today. Delivery folks who were trying to deliver food and medicines.. clearly they don’t understand on ground what are essential services.. @narendramodi @CMOMaharashtra pic.twitter.com/uYmLr9oXjb
— Samidha Sharma (@samidhas) March 24, 2020
Those gruesome visuals are evidence that for some of these workers on the frontlines of the fight against the coronavirus, there are risks beyond disease. Meanwhile, in cities across India, founders of e-commerce start-ups expressed alarm at the way their supply chains were being disrupted while trying to provide necessary commodities to citizens.
We are facing same issues @1mgOfficial . Unfortunate that delivery of medicines are getting delayed, since the police is not informed what is essential. Hoping the message of essential services is conveyed to the forces on the ground. @PMOIndia @cmohry https://t.co/KSoEDz5BYO
— Prashant Tandon (@tandon_prashant) March 22, 2020
Prashant Tandon, the founder of medical delivery start-up 1mg, which drops off medicines and healthcare supplies to customers at home, tweeted about how his company’s employees were struggling to execute their duties. He was not alone, as another e-commerce entrepreneur, Saurabh Kumar, the founder of Grofers, also expressed alarm at his company’s warehouse in Faridabad being shut down (it was later reopened).
We @grofers are having a lot of trouble getting essentials to people who need them as our warehouses are asked to shut, and trucks and delivery partners are being stopped by the police. We apologise to our customers and are working hard to find a solution.
— Saurabh Kumar (@theknownface) March 22, 2020
Big Basket, one of India’s biggest e-commerce home-delivery start-ups was also hamstrung by the hurdles placed in front of their employees by the police.
We regret the inconvenience caused, we are not operational due to restrictions imposed by local authorities on movement of goods in spite of clear guidelines provided by central authorities to enable essential services. We are working with the authorities to be back soon.
— bigbasket (@bigbasket_com) March 25, 2020
And the hampering of online deliveries wasn’t confined to one place in India, but rather across the nation.
#Pune Citizens are facing issues with home delivery of essential goods, its brought to my notice that @bigbasket_com @Grofers @amazonIN & others are being negatively affected since local authorities are imposing restrictions on movement of goods & their delivery agents (1/3)
— Siddharth Shirole (@SidShirole) March 24, 2020
@DC_Gurugram milkbasket app is saying authorities are harassing them hence they are unable to deliver. Look at the message shared by milkbasket. Please look at this matter sir to ease home delivery. pic.twitter.com/vNa1Im2xgI
— Abhiruchi (@Abhiruchi08) March 24, 2020
As it is only the first day of this 21-day lockdown, there is hope that the madness will abate and delivery executives will be allowed to once more go about their job of getting goods to those who need them. Journalist Shiv Aroor echoed the government’s statement that essential services would be readily available to those who had need of them.
No change in essential services that will continue to be available. Unlikely to change. Only change tonight is lockdown expands from 75 districts to all-India. Govt says concerns over police-linked disruptions being addressed by Centre & States. WILL TWEET ALL UPDATES. #21Days pic.twitter.com/hICjnCE0JB
— Shiv Aroor (@ShivAroor) March 24, 2020
Until this confusion over the legitimacy of calling for home delivery online is resolved, Indian citizens will be caught in a weird Catch-22 situation – they are expected to stay indoors on the PM’s orders, but have to step out whenever they need something essential, like food, that would help them stay indoors in the first place.
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