It began with the Janta Curfew which was not followed appropriately and it ultimately ended up as lockdown when Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced in his address to the nation on March 24 that India will remain locked down for the “next 21 days”. However, Prime Minister Modi through his Maan Ki Baat address to the nation on Sunday sought pardon from India for his harsh action. “Lockdown is the only way to contain the spread of this virus,” the Prime Minister Modi added.
For the past five days, Indians who are used to the blaring vehicle screeching and horns, the drone of engines and the clamour of busy streets are waking up to bird chirping. “This lock down is for every citizen – from the Prime Minister to the common man,” Modi said adding that the Centre and the States were working in tandem to ensure supply of essential items during this period. However, supplies of essential items were badly hit due to the break in the chain but the efforts are on to salvage it to normalcy. Yes, it will take time for its restoration as this being the largest quarantine in human history.
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Most of India’s 1.3 billion people are staying home barring a few migrant and daily wagers who are still facing the wrath and the machinery which is trying to help out people. This includes government officials, medical professionals, security forces, retailers and media. India in fact joins millions from China, Italy, France and the UK as governments try to slow the spread of the Coronavirus outbreak.
USA, which has registered over 124,697 Covid-19 positive cases and has seen 2,227 deaths till Sunday, has yet to take a decision on a lockdown. US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he would issue a travel warning for the hard-hit New York area to limit the spread of the Coronavirus, backing off from an earlier suggestion that he might try to cut off the region entirely. “A quarantine will not be necessary,” he tweeted.
Worldwide till Sunday evening, the total positive cases are being put at 677,622 of which 141,698 have recovered while 31,750 have died. India, so far, has 979 Covid-19 positive cases of which 87 have recovered and 25 have died.
With businesses shut down in cities across the country, vast numbers of migrants who are mainly daily wage earners are left with no money and food. Thousands of migrants in Delhi had already started to walk back home as there was no transport available.
By Sunday afternoon, the Union government ordered States to reverse course and seal their borders, ordering migrants to stay where they are. Also, if the migrants defy the order they can be kept in government quarantine centres for next 14 days and the State will take care of their well being. The reversal added to the already confused rollout of the lockdown, which has prompted State government actions often at odds with the Central government’s orders.
In Goa too, people have gradually understood the advantages of maintaining social distance and it could be seen in many parts of the State where people had no choice but to come out of their confinement to pick up essential ration. Even where there are no chalk marks or circles, people are observing social distancing voluntarily.
The lockdown is essential, say experts, but not a complete solution. A lockdown will delay the time when cases peak, but this also depends on how much people distance themselves. The lockdown will buy India time to shore up healthcare infrastructure. India is short of doctors, nursing and paramedical staff, ventilators, and beds, and a lockdown could help prevent the system from being overburdened.
Quarantines are a difficult time. It is our collective responsibility to protect both the medically and economically vulnerable sections. It is expected that with this ordeal people will come out of this more respectful of nature, less consumerist, less frenetic in their approach to life. It seems that the lockdown is the only way to curtail the spread of the virus which has already impacted and devastated many developed nations of the world, which did not exercise such a measure.
