Nice to know PM now feels lockdown is no solution but his ‘trial and error’ style has been disastrous

It is true that the Prime Minister is a keen learner. But the trouble is that he learns by trial and error. He embarked upon the ill-fated demonetisation in the earnest hope that it would help deliver the intended results. In the first place, he did not think it fit to consult those who were in the know of things. Even when there were consultations, he disregarded all opinions that did not approve of such a draconian move. In the end, it took thousands of lives and destruction of the national economy for him to learn that demonetisation was no way to fight black money. Having realised the folly, he never uttered a sentence about it because he had learnt his lesson.

In the same manner, the prime minister has now realised that a second lockdown is no option to fight the renewed wave of Covid infection, by all indications much more dangerous than the first. The daily case load is nearing 1.5 lakh, and the chances are that this will only go up in the coming days.

According to estimates, the country will require 5,000-10,000 beds every day for critical care and the corresponding oxygen supply, (assuming 5-10 percent of the affected patients would require hospitalisation. This has prompted the experts to warn that such an eventuality could cause our health system to collapse. Already, several states, including the national capital, are reporting problems with the availability of hospital beds.

When Modi first announced the ‘people’s curfew’ as the precursor to the full-fledged national lockdown, we only had negligible number of infections, which could have provided the opportunity to approach the issue more realistically and plan for more efficient and humane solution to the problem at hand. Instead, the panic button was pressed straightaway, giving people and the economy no time to make adjustments.