Kerala government to discuss lockdown proposal with opposition

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The LDF government would discuss with the opposition a proposal for another round of complete lockdown in the state, mooted by a section of experts after the number of Covid-19 cases recorded on one day crossed 1,000 on Wednesday.
The state cabinet that met here on Thursday considered the proposal but didn’t take a decision and it is learned that chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan would take it up for discussion in the all-party meeting scheduled for Friday and listen to the views of opposition UDF and BJP. On Wednesday, the CM said that the proposal and dissenting voices were being considered by the government.
In the cabinet meeting, health minister K K Shailaja said that the situation was alarming in the state and sought stricter measures to prevent the spreading. However, a few ministers cited the adverse impact a total shutdown would have on the state’s economy.
During his news conference on Thursday, Vijayan did not rule out the possibility of a lockdown and said “the government will come to a decision only after discussing with all. But there has to be strict restriction going with the pace of the spread of the virus. Already the health experts have aired their views on this.”
The idea of another round of lockdown hasn’t gone down well with experts and industrial leaders, who believe that total shutdown is not a solution for checking the virus spread.
“In Thiruvananthapuram, we had 200 cases on July 5 and now we have 2,000. The city has been under triple lockdown for the past two weeks. This itself proves that total shutdown is not a solution. Total shutdown means total collapse of the economy. We are losing Rs 1,000 crore a day through shutdown,’’ said former state police chief Jacob Punnoose. Only self-lockdown can prevent the surge of the disease effectively, he added.
The Indian Medical Association (IMA) is also against lockdown. “Local spread has happened in the state and there is no point in shutting down the entire state due to this. What we suggest is lockdown in Covid clusters. The spread is happening locally or in communities The focus should be on preventing the spread from one area to other parts,” said IMA state president Dr Abraham Varghese.
Tony Thomas, technology leader and former CIO of Nissan, said lockdown will not cure Covid-19. “If implemented effectively, at best it slows down the rate of pandemic spread to give time for building up healthcare capacity. Once the lockdown is lifted, the pandemic spread will continue unabated. In Kerala, with 99% of critical-care facilities remain unoccupied, a lockdown is unwarranted. The adverse impact of a draconian lockdown will destroy livelihood, emotional and physical well-being of the entire population and will cause many additional deaths, as is already evident,” he said.
“Many studies have shown that Covid-19 spreads through direct contact and droplets, hence proper use of masks will control the pandemic spread effectively than lockdown or containment zones,” he added.