Morning walkers in Vadodara hope for reopening of parks, gardens after lockdown

Vadodara (Gujarat) [India], September 5 : While people across the country anticipate the opening up of public places after months of COVID-19 induced lockdown, morning walkers in Gujarat's Vadodara are hopeful that parks and gardens would open in near future.
"We come to walk every morning for our health as sitting at home all day is not good for the body. Malls, restaurants, and markets are all open now, but why are gardens still closed? Walking in the road is risky due to traffic and we have to be careful while walking on the 'wrong side'. Cars drive very fast around here. Morning walkers always maintain social distancing so I think it is about time gardens open up," Feroze, a nearby resident told ANI.
According to Prakash Shah, a local who has walked in the park every morning for the last 30 years, there was a greater risk of COVID-19 infection on the road than in the park.
"A majority of the morning walkers who come here maintain social distancing and wear masks. There is a much greater risk of COVID-19 infection on the street than inside the parks and the air on the road is not as fresh as the one in the parks. We hope that authorities allow them to open soon," Shah said.