Even as PM Modi announced the lockdown on Tuesday night, pleading with Indians to stay home and avoid crowds, people rushed to the closest grocery shops, thronging their narrow aisles to stock up.

But some shop owners may have a solution.

Vijay Sharma@vijay3100

#21daylockdown

The shopkeepers must adopt this formula for customers

This is an unusual scene since most Indians rely on small neighbourhood grocers, often crowding around the shop front. Queuing up is unthinkable and so is hanging back to await your turn.

But it seems to be catching on.

In the western state of Gujarat, which has 38 positive cases of coronavirus, we got this picture from our colleagues in the BBC Gujarati service, where police drew circles outside a grocery store in the Bhavnagar area.