Social discipline

After two strict lockdown spells, India entered the third phase with relative relaxations in place. In essence, the third phase resembles the country's stride to normalcy. While the cases have indeed risen and breached the 40,000-mark when compared to the beginning of the lockdown, the relative rise appears to be a best-case scenario as opposed to a no-lockdown one. A wide consensus exists over the fact that India's lockdown came just in time to avoid a devastating proliferation of Covid-19 cases and that the relative rise in cases is a result of increased testing — country clocked daily testing rate of 75,000 on May 4. The lockdown has further allowed the country to revitalise its medical infrastructure and equip it to brace the Covid-19 onslaught following relaxed restrictions. Because it has to be assumed that once people return to streets, cases are bound to rise. But what will be the rate of such increase and how would that be controlled requires deliberation. Therefore, the third phase serves more as a trial run to see how normal can things get. Given the incubation period of this, at least a week's lag must be expected before real results of relaxed restrictions can be seen. Going by this formula, the third week of May shall provide the true picture of the situation and would be instrumental in any executive decision thereafter. The third phase was inevitable but so was opening up the economy in bits and pieces. With states deprived of revenue due to a full month lockdown in April, the economic cost of lockdown caught up with the administrative concern for public health. Balancing both becomes an unavoidable task for governments and naturally, the Union took lead by deciding on the contours of relaxations. Split into colour-coded zones, districts have been allowed resume activity as the Centre takes note of proceedings to chalk out its calibrated exit strategy. The green zones performing well and remaining in the green category will be treated as a best-case scenario by the Centre while the same succumbing to infection and turning red would tremble its hand. Any red zone requires no cases reported for 14 straight days in order to turn orange, and a further 14 to turn green. So any district turning red from green would then require 28 days before turning green again. Such a ruthless strategy is the only way to combat the unprecedented pandemic in our times.

While the government monitors districts, people are expected to be disciplined. If people fail to adhere to social distancing norms, the whole relaxation-exercise can be jeopardised. For instance, yesterday, multiple visuals came up wherein people outrightly flouted social distancing norms outside liquors shops that opened across the country after 40 days. While serving as a big source for states' revenue, they could be a medium of mass transmission. The enthusiasm to buy liquor is understood but people have to maintain distance. It has been reiterated that social distancing is the lone preventive measure in this fight. The whole point of lockdown was to cut the exponential growth by asking people to stay home and away from each other. If people line up closely in the manner as pictures from Monday showed, not only do they risk transmission from asymptomatic carriers but rather threaten to give away all the gains that the district or state achieved during the lockdown. Social disciplining is paramount here. While symptomatic people are expected to not head out, others must practice social distancing alongside the mask-culture for they could be asymptomatic. The country stands at a dangerous crossroad whereby public health remains a big concern while a closed economy continues to hurt. In such a grievous hour, the country needs a disciplined society. Without one, the risk of a setback increases. And, with any setback, we will have to backtrack the strides we're making towards normalcy, further hurting our economic aspirations.