The Government of Meghalaya has thankfully not extended the lockdown beyond July 29. Why do Governments impose lockdowns in the first place? It’s primarily to restrict people’s movement and hence their contact with one another. That way transmission of the ubiquitous Covid infection is reduced. The Government of Meghalaya’s decision for the three-day lockdown was to enable faster contact tracing with primary and secondary contacts of the index patients. But while health concerns weigh heavily on the Government, the economic concerns and truncated livelihoods cannot be compromised. Moreover, health experts across the country have since advised that social distancing is the best way to prevent infections.
Perhaps one way for Government to achieve better contact tracing without shutting down the city is to encourage those testing Covid positive to declare their names publicly and isolate themselves, even while requesting all who have been in contact with them to come forward for testing. In this task the Dorbar Shnong could be a strong ally by ensuring that those who declare their Covid status are not stigmatized but are lauded for their public spirited action.
The reality today is that the millions who rely on daily wages for their sustenance are morbidly afraid of lockdowns. Government doles will not take them too far. And food is not the only necessity. They need cash to pay their children’s school fees and for primary health care.
Cities like Pune, Bengaluru, Chennai etc., that have been under lockdown have realised that the numbers of cases have not come down. Health care givers are beginning to realise that the virus is here to stay and a lockdown is just delaying the inevitable. Prof L S Shashidhara, of IISER, Pune said the lockdown is unfortunate and is not going to stop the infection. He said the lockdown will only give some breathing time to augment Covid care centres to provide better care and in making contact tracing more effective. He propagates self-distancing, wearing masks and self-isolation, if a person is found symptomatic. Prof Shashidhara however, warns that those who have symptoms and do not report will continue to spread the infection. If such people report early and isolate themselves it will help reduce the spread of the infection and save lives.
The lockdown has been found by experts to have adverse psychological impact on daily wage earners, small vendors et al for whom staying home adds to the mental agony of facing near starvation and of seeing their children having to go through this painful agony. Governments need to be sensitive to the plight of this most vulnerable group. Besides in a circular economy everyone is affected by the lockdown, some more, some less.