Extending Lockdown!

India fights novel coronavirus: Extending lockdown

My earnest appeal to the Government of India to consider the following before taking any decision on the extension of the lockdown.

Today is April 9, 2019 and we are in the Day 16 of the 21 days lockdown and till now we could only conduct some 1,30,000 (1,27,919 as per ICMR report dated April 8, 2020 at 9 PM) Covid-19 [SARS-CoV-2] sample tests. And this figure is just negligible in consideration with our population. In mathematical terms, it is only 0.01%!

The lockdown imposed in India do not make people of India completely sit at home. People need to go out to get food, medicines and other critical commodities. So, with this kind of lockdown, we just only slowed down the spread of this novel coronavirus, but we never halted it.

With so little tests conducted till date (test rate also not increasing) and so many people going to the market places daily, we cannot confirm that a community transmission of the virus has not started and is not happening. On the other hand, people of the labour classes are out of work, people plying autos, taxis, rickshaws are not earning. How long could this class have resources and savings to last further lockdown days? Policies are made to distribute foods and essentials to these masses, but are they reaching properly? We need to look at reality, we do not have a safe path in this corona fight by denying or ignoring facts!

Again, the middle classes too are also facing huge problems. Their businesses are closed, their savings and resources are on the brink of exhaustion. Work from home is only limited to people doing office works involving computers & data. It is not possible for almost 95% of the people in India. How long can small factories, stationery shops, cloth shops, furniture shops, saloons, tutors, etc remain close and survive? They too have families to feed. If their businesses / earnings comes to standstill, then it will be a Herculian task to roll it back. Many won't be able to do so at all. The difficulties of our middle-class community are taken lightly and not in highlight much.

In extended lockdown, we may consider special passes and limit restrictions, but then it itself is violating the concept of lockdown! These exceptions and limitations only means, that we are just delaying the spread in community but unable to halt it. Along with this, we also have the risk of re-infection of the already cured persons, infection of the already tested covid-19 negative persons. We do not have the infrastructure to identify, shift & quarantine all corona infected and suspected corona infected persons to a small town. This is not feasible as we have a huge population. And our social sense, responsibility and education is not upto the mark that we voluntarily submit ourselves if in case something like this happens. This applies to all starting from ministers to the lower classes. Hence, this cycle of cure-infection will continue.

In the meantime, with extended lockdown we will be on the verge of another crisis. The earning means of most of us will be gone. Huge masses all over India will begin to starve. There is a high chance of starting of loots, riots and our society will be in total chaos.

While we are in lockdown and fighting the corona virus, a silent war is preparing to make a massive attack on us. We cannot see this enemy. Unlike a political war, we cannot visualize the destruction and damages it can make. But, surely this war has already started and damaging us! We need to stop this war too else it be too late on this front too.

So, please think well whether extending this model of lockdown will really help us fight this coronavirus pandemic and keep India safe. Or are we going to make things more difficult for us times ahead. On one hand we won't be able to stop the community transmission, but on the other hand we are going to break down the socio-economic structure of India! Think again, Sir.