India’s Coronavirus Strategy: As Cases Rise, So Do Lockdown Relaxations
India’s coronavirus strategy is at odds with reality. It is going from the sublime to the ridiculous. When the cases were 500+, India clamped the first lockdown. As the number of cases increases, India continues with the lockdown strategy. Just that the number of relaxations also increases to keep pace with the infections.
China lifted the Wuhan lockdown long after the cases were down to single digits. Forget China, nobody believes them. European countries are relaxing their lockdown after their curve is flattened. They have touched the peak of coronavirus infections and as their cases keep coming down with each passing day; they are starting to open up slowly. Even though the US is far from being a model country to emulate, their cases are coming down as it tries to force its way out of restrictions.
Compare this to India. The cases are increasing. The curve is nowhere nearing flattening out. The infections are getting reported from the States and the districts where the virus was not present earlier. The States where the virus was already present are getting hammered badly with no respite, even now. What’s the response? Further relax the lockdown.
India’s inexplicable coronavirus strategy leads to several unanswered questions.
Why and how the coronavirus cases increase in the lockdown?
We know that the coronavirus cases got imported through international flights. They stopped on the 22nd of March. We know that the second wave of infections came through Tablighi Jamaat. The event happened in mid-March and by the first week of April, all the attendees of the event were identified in their respective States and quarantined. 4514 cases are attributable to Tablighi Jamaat as per the Wikipedia page.
As on date, in the second half of May, India has reported 1 lac + cases. That too, with an increasing curve. How is this possible? What is going on? India’s Central and State Governments need to answer on the efficacy of their imposed lockdown. Apart from creating immense hardship to migrant workers, what has the lockdown achieved?
The Government’s spin doctors keep repeating that if it would not have been for the lockdown, India would have reported 1 lac cases way too earlier. Let’s believe them and thank the Government.
Now, raise the question that despite the lockdown, why and how did the coronavirus cases reach 1 lac + in the first place? The Government will not own up that their lockdown was half-baked and hence, their result too was half-baked.
Who is going to take the blame for the increase in the coronavirus cases and the deaths?
The Government tells us that we need to learn to live with the virus. As a result, the lockdown relaxations keep increasing. Unfortunately, the coronavirus cases too keep increasing. We can learn to live with the virus when it is on the retreat, and not when it is surging, rather expected to surge even further.
The Government is not telling us what is its plan? Has the Government built on its bandwidth to handle the increase in cases? Forget the isolation hospital beds, ICU beds and ventilators, which we are short on, coronavirus is going to kill 3% to 10% of all the patients. Who is going to be responsible for these deaths with the ever-increasing cases?
Has the Indian Government given up on its desire and capability to protect its citizens by systematically dismantling the lockdown, one step at a time? The Indian Government did leave the migrant workers in the lurch, to fend for their selves and in the process, to die, for many of them.
Now, seemingly, the Indian Government has adopted a similar approach for the rest of the citizens too. Fend for yourself. The Government cannot take care of you going ahead. It is a sure-shot way of making citizens Atma Nirbhar.
Government announces CBSE, JEE, NEET examination dates
To make matters worse, Government goes ahead and announces the examination dates for CBSE XII, JEE and NEET. Has the situation normalized? Not in terms of coronavirus cases but surely in the heads of the Government mandarins.
They have announced the dates in July, leaving June. This clearly shows that the Government has just one plan for coronavirus – A wishful thinking that it will leave India on its own. The Government has no contingency plans to fall back on, apart from publicizing the chimera of dysfunctional online education.
The Honourable Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi
We were told that the Mahabharata war was won in 18 days, the war against coronavirus will take 21 days. At the time of announcing the first lockdown, Narendra Modi told us “Jaan Hai To Jahaan Hai”. Before announcing the second lockdown, Narendra Modi told us “Jaan Bhi Jahaan Bhi. Now, he has stopped telling us anything related to “Jaan”.
The Honourable Prime Minister does deserve a benefit of the doubt. After all, nobody has the experience of dealing with a pandemic. Just that, what is leading to the changes in his versions of “Jaan” and what is the current interpretation? For this is going to explain, what is going to happen in Lockdown 5.
There is no other logical explanation for this theatre of absurd that the Indian Government considers her citizens as expendables. The only country in the world to increase the lockdown relaxations with the increase in cases.
As far as I am concerned, the Government of India better declare the war against coronavirus over, declare us as winners, end the charade of lockdown and leave us at the mercy of the virus.
I realize it has already done so.