Noida, Panic buying, serpentine queues and evaporating stocks became a reality for all Noida residents on Wednesday afternoon after the Uttar Pradesh government announced sealing hotspots in 15 districts including Gautam Buddh Nagar. As many as 12 clusters and 34 localities are identified in the district and will be sealed from Wednesday night.

As per the order, the hotspot areas will be sealed as per precautionary measures to contain the spread of Covid-19 which has so far claimed four lives across Uttar Pradesh which has 343 confirmed cases. But beyond the bureaucratic legalese, citizen apprehension took over and manifested in local kirana shops to supermarts.

Brijesh, who only gave his by his first name, stays in Sector 50 Noida which is outside the hotspot zone. But fearing worse, he stacked eight litre of milk, ten kilo atta and two dozen eggs.

Grocery stores had long queues soon after the announcement by Additional Chief Secretary Avneesh Kumar Awasthi and Director General of Police H.C. Awasthi declaring selected hotspots in 15 districts in the state will be sealed.

Sector 77 Noida, which is adjacent to Sector 78 and 74 - where two societies fall under the hotspot, witnessed a maddening rush. A medical shop had a queue that stretched from the supermart to the road.

In Sector 74, one of the hotspots, the staff at Spencers were rushing to warehouse to bring additional stocks as people walked out with carts full of groceries, dairy product and even soft drinks.

In a press conference, the two officials confirmed that curfew-like measures will be implemented in these hotspot areas, but clarified that normal lockdown measures will be there in other areas.

But as all people rushed out of their homes, forgetting the social distancing request earlier made by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he had announced the lockdown on March 24, to stock up on groceries and essential items, Gautam Buddha Nagar's new District Magistrate woke up to the reality and urged people not to panic through his Twitter account.

"Dear residents, no need for panic buying. Identified Hot spots shall be sealed and home delivery of essential commodities and services shall be available at all places in the district. We shall take strict action against rumour mongers and spreaders," he tweeted.

But, it was too late.

The scene wasn't any different at Sector 143 in Noida where one of the bigger supermarts saw bread disappear in no time.

In Sector 93, medical shops were selling masks in bulk to consumers as stepping out without a mask has been banned in Noida.

While the intention may have been to replicate the Bhilwara model - ruthlessly enforce social distancing, the absence of advance effort to assure the citizen, Noida descended on streets and markets, trampling all social distancing norms, for which the strict decisions were made in the first place.