Prime Minister Modi put out a tweet saying the COVID-19 battle is a long war and it might be a sign of extending a lockdown.
On the 13th day of the lockdown, India has witnessed 4389 positive cases out of which 3938 are still active. Among the closed cases, 329 have recovered and 122 have lost their lives. Today alone, India has witnessed over 100 cases which is, as of now, less compared to the 600 odd cases reported the day before. Experts say, India is on the rise to touch the peak and this is just the beginning.
The lockdown announced on the 24th of March was in an attempt to safeguard India from reaching stage 3 – community transmission. The lockdown plans have practically been wasted by the Tablighi Jamaat which alone has accounted for over 1,000 cases. According to the health ministry, if not for Tablighi Jamaat, the number of cases would have doubled in 7 days and now, it is doubling in 4 days. This could have caused a dent in the country’s Plan A to fight the pandemic.
A longer lockdown
A week ago, in a press conference, the Cabinet Secretary rubbished the speculations about extending a lockdown beyond the 14th of April. That was the time of a pre-Tablighi outbreak. Post the Tablighi outbreak, there seems to be a change in the plan. Though there hasn’t been any official word from the government, Prime Minister Modi’s latest tweet might have dropped a hint.
Prime Minister in his tweet, wrote,
“It’s a long war. We do not have to get tired or take rest in this war. We have to emerge victoriously. Today, the country has only one goal and one resolve – to win this war.”
The mention of long war has sent shivers to businesses that are eager to return to work. That also means the country is in the war for a long time, a longer lockdown, a longer fight. Speculations about whether there would be relaxation in certain sectors have already made rounds of social media.
If the lockdown happens, it only means that the government is backing its own agenda – life before livelihood.
