Who doesn’t love shopping?
It is something that provides satisfaction, and people around the world love to spend hefty amounts of money on shopping. And people were busy shopping for different kinds of things until the Coronavirus outbreak happened.
Firstly, the fear and then the lockdown made people not move out of their homes. Markets and streets went empty as there was no one to buy things. The tragic lockdown continued for more than three months, and now unlock has started. Markets are allowed to stay open for a predetermined time every day. And those shopping lovers who were forced to stay in homes are now feeling alive again.
Yesterday, when I went to the market near me to buy some medicines while wearing all the safety gears, I was stunned to see that people are taking COVID-19 so lightly. It was not the same number of people in the market that used to be before three months but still, it was enough crowded to boost the spread. And what was more traumatic was that many of the people I saw were not wearing the face mask and there were no signs of social distancing.
The view made me think for a second that I did wrong by coming to the market. Even on my visit for something essential, it felt like knowingly walking on glass pieces barefoot.
I understand that many people were out for some important work but not wearing a face mask is a sin. And as the festival of Raksha Bandhan is just around the corner, the market has more ladies and young girls who are buying rakhi for brother. Obviously, rakhi is an important thing needed to celebrate the festival but at what cost. Is risking life for that justified? No, and it is not justified for shopping in any sense in the year 2020.
We live in a technology-based world and with the power of the internet, we can do most of the things that we need from e-commerce websites and mobile applications like buying a rakhi from an online rakhi store. I know that not everybody knows how to use such services but still, shopkeepers today are providing home delivery services, and the order can be placed over a call.
I think that everyone who is planning to visit the market to buy something this year should think before doing that. This is the right time to put the technology and those smartphones in your pocket to best use. Teach your parents how to order groceries and other things online and how to avail contactless delivery. And if somehow it is urgent to step out of the house then don’t forget to wear a 3-layered face mask and to follow the social distancing.
I know that shopping is fun and online shopping doesn’t provide that thrill and joy of the local market, but as of now, online shopping is a convenient and safer way.
Everything can wait but your safety can’t!
