No one in New Zealand is an exception to the strict preventive measures enforced by the Prime Minister against the pandemic. Recently, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was denied entry into a cafe because it had already reached its customer limit. The cafe employee had to "awkwardly" tell them that they are full. In very rare incidents, a person would feel proud when denied entry to a public place. This was one such incident. But can something similar happen in India?
We bring you a few incidences in India where even during lockdown rules had been disregarded by prominent political figures.
Politician organised a wedding amidst coronavirus
Let alone the Prime Minister, will the Indians be able to turn away a powerful MP or MLA? In the mid of April, when the country was under lockdown, a politician organised his son's wedding. As reported by NDTV, no preventive measures like social distancing or masks were used at the wedding. It was the wedding of Former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda's grandson Nikhil Kumaraswamy and Revathi, the grandniece of a Congress leader and former minister.
Also Read: Feeling Low Despite Being Comfortable In Lockdown? It Is Absolutely Fine
MLA celebrates birthday with hundreds of supporters amidst lockdown
M Jayaram, an MLA of the Bharatiya Janata Party reportedly celebrated his birthday in April with hundreds of his supporters ignoring several social distancing measures. However, the MLA was seen wearing gloves.
Karnataka BJP MLA M. Jayaram celebrated his birthday with villagers amid nationwide lockdown. #ITVideo#Karnataka #coronavirus pic.twitter.com/JNwuKNZHhr
— IndiaToday (@IndiaToday) April 11, 2020
Even Common People Also Disregard the Rules
Is it really the fault of the administration though? It feels like we Indians have a common disregard for rules. We have this tendency of not taking rules seriously. When Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked people to applaud the people on the frontline during Junta Curfew, hundreds of people all over the country reportedly came on roads in groups with dhols and manjeere and what not!
When recently the government allowed alcohol shops to open bringing in certain relaxations in the lockdown many people reportedly flouted the social distancing rules to buy alcohol.
New Zealand eases out of its coronavirus lockdown
New Zealand has recently eased out some of its coronavirus lockdown measures and has allowed cafes to reopen, following strict social distancing measures between tables and with the mandate that customers must remain seated. Following which Ardern, along with her fiance Clarke Gayford and some friends were politely turned away from a cafe in Wellington on Saturday.
It is only when we take responsibility for our actions that we can we point a finger at others, and as for the Prime Minister Ardern, way to go lady! You are leading the way, indeed.
Also Read: Thank you For The Claps, But We Expect Safety, Salary And Support: Indian Health Workers
Ayushi Aggarwal is an intern at SheThePeople.TV