Government is gasping for a limited lockdown – Is it effective for growing numbers?

In a bid to stem the spread of coronavirus that has claimed over 17,000 lives across in India so far, 1.3 billion people of India should prepare to go under a complete lockdown for a 2 weeks continuation of lockdown.

The Centre will try to prevent an explosion of cases that could overwhelm the country’s fragile public health system with this lockdown measure, which includes sealing borders and restricting movement to only essential services.

Under the disaster management act (2005) issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Government of India (GOI), along with the list of exceptions, lockdown violations could invite jail term or heavy penalty

24th of March onwards, educational institutions, public transports and maximum businesses have been shut since then.

The Disaster Response Authority of the Government stated, that keeping in view of the need to open up economic actions, new guidelines would be issued.

Coronavirus Disease reports state that in India, 19,334,442 tests for CoVid19 have been taken, total 549,197 cases of CoVid19 have been recorded, 16,487 have been recovered, 226,277 are active cases and 2,300 are in critical condition.

The federal government has planned the two weeks extended world’s largest lockdown, covering the 1.3 billion people.

What has differed?

Restrictions remain in place for the flights, trains, educational institutions, metro services, restaurants, pubs, cinemas and shopping complexes/malls, which will remain closed with new regulations in light.

The Home Affairs Ministry had announced – while sports complexes and stadiums can host events without spectators, restaurants will be allowed to operate takeaway services and transports will be permitted for travelling if they have the permission to do so, under the new regulations, across the cities and towns as well as crossing state borders.

With limitations, journeys in personal vehicles had been permitted before, with drivers being prohibited from travelling long distances, often being stopped at police checkpoints and asked where they were headed to.

Hospitals, pharmacies, groceries and other essential services have been allowed to operate throughout the entire lockdown.

State officials will decide on the behaviour of individuals that whether they wish to allow the easing of restrictions or continue with the previous rules.

In ‘Containment Zones’ or ‘Hotspots’ or other areas with the increased number of cases, no changes will be applied except a perimeter that has been imposed to ensure no one enters or leaves except in case of an extreme emergency.

Other relaxations on the rules and regulations by the Government

The government had already relaxed the rules to allow agriculture and related businesses to reopen and operate, the self-employed workers including plumbers, electricians and carpenters were allowed to start working again only in organs or green zones which do not have a high number of Covid-19 cases.

Tight restrictions are to be continued in the red zones, which are seen as hotspots.

Officials of India are continuously being monitoring these three coloured zones which mark the safety of people and for a new record of the rise or fall in cases.

With a massive economic cost and job losses already crossing 120 million, lockdown in India was it put in place quickly.

The surprise announcement – accompanied by the suspension of trains and buses across the country – also stranded millions of migrant labourers who began to walk home getting desperate to return to their families after finding themselves out of work and money.

The journey has proved fatal for many workers, who either died of hunger, sickness or succumbed to the brutal conditions they were exposed to.

Though later special trains and buses were restarted for migrants many said they cannot afford the fare and are unsure if they will find a place on services due to social distancing norms.

Hence, Independent individuals have come forward and helped the workers in their struggle to went home.

Has the Indian lockdown averted deaths or worsened the pandemic?

According to the mathematical models about the impact of lockdown on Covid-19 fatalities in India, estimating this quantitatively is not possible. Intangibles associated with this question are many and only qualitative analysis is possible.

The impacts of the lockdown on healthcare for other diseases and economic complications that have made physical-distancing hard are all more significant than the minor improvements, made during the lockdown.

In the capability of the healthcare system to address Covid-19, the lockdown has heightened the challenge of the pandemic, and will presumably worsen the final toll. Post-lockdown trajectory differs from the pre-lockdown trajectory and one accounts for the fact that people themselves take precautions and alter their behaviour during an epidemic.

Nevertheless, this impact is independent of lockdown and is a simple and well-known result.