‘Fed-up’ Indians hit the shops

New Delhi – A few weeks ago, New Delhi’s crematoriums were operating around the clock dealing with Covid-19 victims. Now the Indian capital’s shopping malls and markets are buzzing again.

But doctors are worried that India is letting its guard down again, just like in January and February, before a devastating surge that led to a near-collapse of the healthcare system.

Clutching a bag of clothes as she shopped with her new husband at Delhi’s busy Select City Walk mall, Surili Gupta said she was “fed-up being cooped up inside”.

“I needed this break, for how long you can remain locked up?” the 26-yearold sales executive said as she waited for a table at the mall’s packed food hall.

“The coronavirus is not going any time soon, so one has to learn to live with it. I am sure with the vaccinations and all, we will be fine.”

Mall staff performed perfunctory temperature checks and reminded people to sanitise their hands.

Not far away, shoppers thronged the open-air warren of shops and stalls at Lajpat Nagar market, bargaining for scarves and cheap cosmetics, with lively trade for food vendors. –