Delhi CM Arvind Kejirwal has said he will take up people’s suggestions to resume buses and partially reopen malls with the Centre. With 472 cases, Delhi reported its biggest single-day spike in Covid-19 positive cases Thursday. Mumbai, which has reported 16,500 cases so far, has decided to extend the lockdown beyond 17 May. Ahmedabad’s mortality rate of 6.7 per cent is way above the national average of 3.2 per cent.
ThePrint asks: After 54 days, will Indians in Covid hotspots like Delhi and Mumbai be ready to step out?
People have grasped the severity. All public activities, including political rallies, are going to be limited
Shaina NC
Spokesperson, BJP
Mumbaikers are ready to step out but very cautiously. Masks, social distancing and sanitisers are just the tip of the iceberg. The novel coronavirus is going to call for a deeper corrective lifestyle measure.
For businesses, I think the new culture is going to be working from home. The concept of coming to the workplace and clocking in your hours is no longer going to be a priority in the post-Covid world. As we wield digital technology with a heavier hand, I expect India’s entrepreneurs to come up with innovative solutions on how to adapt to the coronavirus.
People-centric activities and occasions, even political rallies, are all going to be limited even after the lockdown is lifted because people have grasped the severity of the situation and will be wary of venturing out in that direction. As it is, so-called icons and celebrities are already helping popularise masks, protective gear and social distancing so that they appear ‘cool’ and ‘in fashion’.
Until and unless a vaccine comes to our rescue, the coronavirus is going to be a lesson in humility. It’s going to make us appreciate that less human activity results in a healthier environment — like, for starters, cleaner air.
People in Delhi understand that life with sanitiser and mask is now a norm. They won’t be afraid to step out
Somnath Bharti
Founding member, AAP
Everybody must understand that the coronavirus won’t disappear until a vaccine is found. Out of all the chief ministers in India, Delhi’s Arvind Kejriwal was the first one to candidly admit that we need to learn to live with the coronavirus. Yes, the Covid-19 positive numbers in Delhi are rising at a worrisome pace but that’s only because we have ramped up testing.
The Delhi government is ready to deal with any untoward development in the days to come. In the past 54 days, we have got medical equipment, PPE and testing kits, and ensured hospitals are ready. This has helped the public become psychologically-prepared for the dynamic situation.
People are following social distancing measures, wearing gloves and masks at all times, and carrying a sanitiser with them when stepping out. Therefore, I don’t think people in Delhi will be afraid to go out — they are just getting used to the new normal. Touching, hugging and invading someone’s personal space is now a big no-no and people understand that.
In my constituency Malviya Nagar, I have been encouraging people to step out with an umbrella at all times. I have observed that with an umbrella in hand, social distancing is automatically enforced and ensures that there is a minimum of six-feet distance between people.
I believe India can take the lead in teaching the world how to live with the coronavirus.
Simplistic to believe ‘lockdown fatigue’ and ‘spirit of Mumbai’ will transport people to happy pre-Covid days
Sandip Ghose
Marketing executive and commentator
A pandemic works at two levels — it spreads a disease and fear. Although interrelated, they do not always move in tandem. Fear usually follows the disease with a time lag. As things stand today, the gradient of the coronavirus graph is far from flattening — even though it may have fallen marginally in terms of the number of days it’s taking for Covid-19 positive cases to double.
The situation is particularly alarming in metros — probably because of greater congestion and more accurate reporting. So with absolute numbers — both of infection and deaths — rising exponentially, it will be counter-intuitive to believe that the fear psychosis will recede faster.
It is becoming fashionable to say that ‘we must learn to live with the coronavirus’. The argument is as specious as the comparisons that were being drawn with the number of deaths in road accidents and normal flu. The migrant workers have shown us that when it comes to choosing between life and livelihood, people will choose life. Lure of work is not enough to bring them back from their home states.
It will be similarly simplistic to believe that the ‘lockdown fatigue’ and the ‘spirit of Mumbai’ will transport us to the happy pre-Covid days.
By Pia Krishnankutty, journalist at ThePrint