Traveling in Delhi amid pandemic – From social distancing to crowded food joints

One of the three cities of India’s Golden Triangle circuit, Delhi was severely hit due to the coronavirus. The city which used to bustle round the clock came to a halt for a long period when the central government announced a national lockdown on March 22, 2020. The local Delhites who never learned to be locked at home were left emotionally paralyzed as they were not able to go out to eat and hangout. Delhi is known for its street foods and hangout sites which are visited by everyone from young school kids to the retired group of the national capital. Traveling in Delhi amid pandemic became a life-threatening situation. 

People had to hold cravings for the delicious parathas of Moolchand, giant naans of Kake di Hatti, street foods of Rajouri Garden and Lajpat Nagar, night walks around India Gate, evening hangout near Hauz Khas, and whatnot. This list just doesn’t stop here. CP, the most famous hangout joint and shopping area of Delhi turned out to be an abandoned complex of some apocalypse movie. Hanuman Mandir near CP which used to be the adda of creative minds who would come here in the evening, talk literature, politics over chai, and kachori remained silent for several months. I myself missed that place. From this end to the other, Delhi slept even in the day. 

Is it safe to travel in Delhi amid pandemic? Safety measures to follow

Since restrictions from international tourism are still not uplifted, people are traveling in Delhi amid the lockdown pandemic. After the fourth lockdown, people started to move out and companies started to call their employees back to the cabins.  The street food joints again started to get their loved customers and CP started to bloom again with the crowd. However, still traveling in Delhi amid the COVID-19 pandemic is a challenge and you never know how the situation may change. Thus, personal safety and security are always on the top. One must not compromise with that. 

I have traveled within Delhi amid pandemic several times. I love this city and I have missed it for a very long time. I still remember it was 15th March 2020, the last time I visited Chandani Chowk and had dinner at Kake di Hatti and then the government announced a national lockdown. And then I took a long gap to go back to those narrow streets. I returned there in January 2021, after 10 months, and roamed around the same places I visited back in March 2020. 

Read Here – How lockdown has impacted traveling in India?

Delhi Metro ran on tracks after six months of lockdown

No doubt, Delhi metro is a big relief. People love it and it saves a lot of time. However, everything was shut in lockdown and the metro was no exception. People missed traveling in the metro for a long time. Six months spent and then the metro ran back on the tracks. It was on 7th September 2020 that the metro resumed its journey after a break of half a year. However, there were lots of restrictions. To follow all the primary and secondary measures of safety and hygiene, DMCR issued regulations for the passengers. If you are planning of traveling to Delhi amid the pandemic, you need to follow the lockdown guidelines.

No one is allowed without a mask. Thermal scanning, hand and luggage sanitizing, etc. are some rules that everyone has to pass through before entering the metro. A cashless and contactless method was adopted. However, now you can buy tokens as well. From the platforms to inside the metro compartments, you will find stickers with rules. Social distancing was followed. Alternate seats were blocked and one to sit as per the guides. After every journey, the metros are properly sanitized and cleaned.

Social distancing was ensured and followed but now as more and more people have started to travel in Delhi amid pandemic, metros have started to experience crowds which means people have stopped ensuring the social distancing. The compartments are getting crowded day by day which is something one can’t avoid. Either, the DMRC has to bring more metros or the organization has to limit the number of passengers per metro. Traveling in the times of COVID pandemic is a life-risk.

People have started to throng around food joints

You just can’t miss the street food of the national capital. When you reach Moolchand metro station, you can easily sense the smell of parathas at Moolchand. Chandani Chowk which is famous for its street food joints has now started to experience almost the same crowd however now it is hard to recognize faces since all of them are covered with masks. I visited Chandani Chowk and Jama Masjid in January 2021 after around 10 months, and found a thick crowd at the mosque. I saw people busy clicking selfies and making Instagram videos.

If you are a street food lover, you know famous areas where you can get authentic street food. I used to live in Rajouri Garden back in 2017. The market of Rajouri Garden has some amazing street food options and I have missed that. A couple of days back, I visited the same market and the same street food shops. It had the same crowd. People hovering over the shop for their orders. So, no social distancing. Same at Karol Bagh. Just behind the metro station, there are some street food stalls and the famous pasta and momo stall just at the beginning of the market run by a lady. When I visited this stall back in September 2019, it had a thick crowd and when I visited here yesterday, I saw the same crowd. I had to wait long to get my half plate of pasta in my hands.

People had put on masks which are mandatory but social distancing isn’t followed. Initially, a year ago, the virus created havoc and spread terror among the people. Now people have learned to deal with this new normal lifestyle and perhaps they aren’t afraid anymore. They are traveling locally and roaming around. Now that the vaccine is launched in the market and has been approved by the government, perhaps it may eradicate this highly contagious virus and put an end to this situation forever.