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BENGALURU: Call it Relock or Lockdown 5.0, the latest government decision seems to have garnered different views in the city. With both economic and physical health being in peril as Covid-19 rages on, two prominent voices talk about the need and repercussions of the measure

‘Saving lives is need of the hour’

We are in the midst of the Covid-19 storm and all of mankind has been brought to their knees to get away from this devastating pandemic. Going by estimation of experts, it is expected that this pandemic is here to stay and will continue for a couple of months. In these desperate times, our pharmacological armamentarium is not strong enough to address the coronavirus and its complications. For a country of 1.3 billion in population, the burden of disease and infrastructure to address this is of utmost concern at this point. The rate of mortality, especially death in those younger than 40 years of age, is also a matter of huge concern.

In spite of following physical distancing, face masks and hand sanitisation, there has not been much of success in curtailing Covid-19 mortality. It is putting a huge amount of strain on the healthcare system to address this issue. Added to this are changes in recommendations and guidelines every fortnight. Unless we strengthen the healthcare system with adequate infrastructure and staffing, it is difficult to get out of the current situation. The transmission of Covid-19 via droplets and aerosols has been discussed at length. The lockdown has come as a handy option to break this chain.

The many advantages include curtailing the vulnerable population from catching the infection, adequate preparation to address the issue – triage, ICU beds, staffing of the healthcare workers. A minimum of a two-week lockdown is required for effective control. If the lockdown is not implemented now with due diligence, we may see repeat future lockdowns, which will put huge amount of economic strain on the system.Fighting the pandemic is a necessity for the economy to rebound. As we all work together, it is essential that we focus on the right priorities to save lives and livelihoods. Although there is a lot of economic consequences, saving lives is the need of the hour.

‘Lockdowns are not the answer’  

The decision of another lockdown is strange considering the economic situation of the state. This shows that we have failed even from the health point of view as we have not been able to bring the pandemic under control even after four months. People in isolation have disappeared, making contact tracing a challenge, beds in hospitals are full, and the economy is bleeding.  The estimated loss in the one-week lockdown is over `5,000 crore. And this, after we have hit rock bottom, is no good news. Repercussions of this will be suicidal. Just as industries were gaining momentum after unlock 1.0, another lockdown only means that industries cannot survive this.

It is no surprise that many of them are closing shop permanently and others, which are struggling to stay alive, have come to a standstill. This is not the situation in other states where industries are continuing to run. Otherwise, we should have a uniform policy for the entire country. Before this step was taken, at least industrial bodies should have been consulted. I have spoken to the chief secretary, requesting that traders and industries be exempt from this lockdown.

People are returning to their hometowns from Bengaluru, and several villagers are seeking an assurance from them that they won’t come to the city. This is owing to the high number of cases here. So how is economic activity going to take place? 

Generating employment is the need of the hour and these close-downs are only giving a wrong signal at a time when we are looking at foreign investment. There is no industry that is not struggling to stay alive, including the pharmaceutical sector, F&B, hospitality, aerospace, and garments. Our economy was already in a questionable shape before corona hit us. At the current rate, the letter of credit will vanish. With monsoon, Covid-19 cases may rise. We can’t come to a standstill because of that. The onus of staying safe is on each individual. Lockdowns are not the answer. As we will see, the result of this closure will be that Karnataka will hit the back seat in terms of economics.