As the country entered the third phase of the lockdown with discernible relaxations in the non-hotspot regions, what was missed was the limitation of a top-down approach. The states do not have leeway or a final say in drawings boundaries of the areas that have to be opened up. While the Union home ministry has classified 130 districts as Covid-19 hotspots with maximum restrictions, several states have expressed their strong disapproval of the approach of designating entire districts as Red zones. Their argument that only containment areas with high case-load in hotspot districts should be subjected to strident restrictions is valid. It should be given due consideration by the Union government. As rightly pointed out by epidemiologists that a lockdown is not the endgame in the battle against coronavirus; we need to acknowledge the fact that hotspots can change, infections can recede from some areas and spread to new ones and what is Green zone today can turn into Red tomorrow. States should be given some flexibility to relax the lockdown measures in areas within hotspot districts as they are better placed to understand the needs of their territories.
M Jeyaram Sholavandan
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