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| Photo: indiatoday.in |
For the last one week spikes in new COVID-19 cases in India
have been over 3000 daily with more than 4000 cases in the last twenty four
hours. Fortunately so far, numbers of critical cases and deaths are under
control, recovery rate being more than 30% and the doubling rate seemingly
stable at around 10 days. In four Indian states, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil
Nadu and Delhi, the situation is still grim with spikes in new cases and deaths
raging. Particularly in Maharashtra, total cases have crossed 22,000,
infections in Dharavi—Asia’s biggest slum—rising ominously still and more than 1000
cops of the states getting infected with 7 of them dead. Relaxations given
during extension of Lockdown 3.0 for red zones had to be withdrawn here and in
several other states. Maharashtra Chief Minister, Uddhav Thackeray, has
admitted that the police forces of the state are fatigued fighting Coronavirus
from the front, and a solution needs to be found immediately.
Amid such concerns trains carrying hundreds of thousands of
migrant workers to their home states are taking place and evacuation of
stranded Indians in foreign countries is also in full swing. Such developments
can contribute to the spikes further with around 7 COVID-19 positive persons
already detected from the evacuees. We cannot help getting more concerned at
the migrant workers being taken to their homes, in tempos, trucks, buses apart
from the trains; because some of them could be potential spreaders in the rural
and semi-urban belts many of which are still COVID free.
The announcement by Indian Railways last evening to start
its passenger train services from 12th May, although limited pairs
only with all starting from the national capital Delhi, has come as a total
surprise considering the precarious situation, and that phased resumption of
domestic flights could have been the far more reasonable option: because a
train journey exposes the passengers to possible infection for longer hours,
one night to be passed inevitably, having to sit, eat, sleep and use toilets
together. What comes as a much bigger contrast is waving norms like social
distancing for migrants’ trains allowing the trains run in their full capacity.
Of course, the pressure is tremendous, but one can justifiably question the
wisdom of this action.
For the regular passenger trains it has been said that
booking can only be online in the railway site; however, nothing much has been
said about other norms to be followed except for wearing masks and compulsory
screening while boarding. Another valid question: how one is supposed to keep
on wearing masks even during sleeping hours in the trains, that too in
air-conditioned coaches as only AC trains of the Rajdhani Express status are
being started? Further, these services are being offered for which class of travelers?
While there could be more stranded citizens in Delhi and various other
destination stations apart from the migrants, this move could very well motivate
other people to travel too for non-essential purposes. Then, just imagine
trainloads of passengers from red zone Delhi to grim red zones like Mumbai, Ahmadabad,
Chennai or Kolkata, and how those destination states are supposed to deal with
these passengers! If there has to be mass quarantine of the loads of passengers
for at least 14 days then what purpose would the whole exercise serve, with
more regular trains to follow?
Arguments can also be offered in favor of such moves. With hundreds
of migrants’ trains already running Railways takes this opportunity to
regularize in a phased manner and start earning some revenues too; however, it is
much more important for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) to get a
boost than a government entity earning revenues. Lockdowns are only temporary
measures and cannot be extended indefinitely and an economic consideration is
of utmost importance; true, but learning from other nations lockdowns can
indeed be extended in a phased manner allowing gradual easing of curbs, and
also the fact that in most red-zone states there seems to be no alternative at the
moment but to extend lockdowns till at least the end of this month. With the
surprise move of starting passenger trains it is almost inevitable to give
green signals to domestic flights in selected routes any time now thus giving a
boost to the struggling aviation sector; needed, but this would further open up
the scope of more spread and infections. Indian experts expect the Coronavirus
to reach peak levels only during June-July while international experts believe
that the virus is going to stay with us for up to 2 years, and so living with the
new normal is the best option; however, curbs must in place and norms must
compulsorily be followed so that things don’t go out of control during the peak
level.
The crux of the matter is that while you appeal to common
people stay at home, follow all norms at every step you cannot afford to entice
them in very many ways to move out or travel. The Prime Minister of India,
Narendra Modi, is having a marathon meeting with Chief Ministers of the states
today to consider an exit plan from Lockdown 3.0. We fervently hope good and
practical sense prevails. India’s effort has been praised internationally, and
so it is of crucial importance that the fight against COVID-19 be brought to a
logical end or till the challenge of living with the new normal is met
successfully. There is also the basic hope that a vaccine gets discovered well
within the next two years.
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