Don’t stop the roll out of economy yet again come what may, even if Covid cases rise. If rising casualties unnerve our generals and soldiers, they cannot fight a war.
We must not panic. Please remember, it’s a war to save our economy and keep it going. Anything that brings our economy to a halt will make us lose this war.
That’s why LOCKDOWNS & CURFEWS should be off the table of options.
Let our generals and leaders keep it in their minds. Even the ‘blind’ ‘lakeer ke fakir’ bureaucrats who play by the rote must not suggest easy options like Lockdowns and Curfews.
Dumb, corrupt, and politically motivated crooks like Thakre, Amarindar, and Kejariwal must understand this too.
The mortality rate is low. It’s the kind of risk we take in our day-to-day lives. It’s a low risk war against a deadly pandemic. Our soldiery takes 3000% greater risks to defend the nation’s borders.
We can easily afford a below 1% mortality risk without batting our eyelids to keep our economy going. That’s more important now than trying to achieve ‘immortality’ through forced coercive lock downs and curfews.
Let economic activities continue to roll. REQUEST businessmen to adopt newer Covid appropriate practices in their day-to-day functioning. The emphasis should be on REQUESTS and APPEALS that should be constantly broadcast and dinned into the ears of citizenry.
Don’t shut shops and bazaars and even malls. REQUEST them to adopt home delivery and ‘take away’ and other distribution models. No restaurant kitchen should ever go cold. In fact they should function 24×7. Sit in dining can be discouraged but ‘in-your-car’ dining with ‘take away food’ by the beach side or in an isolated spot should be welcome.
ASK/REQUEST citizens to curtail unwanted travel. Don’t COERCE them. If you can work from home, why go to office. If you can enjoy a take away meal sitting in your car, or a home delivered dinner at home, why go and sit in a restaurant.
Self-employed street vendors, hawkers, goods carriers, home delivery boys, etc. must be allowed to move freely 24×7.
Economic activities must not be restricted. Leisure activities can be reasonably restricted or modified to ‘Covid Appropriate’ behavior without wielding the lathi.
There are reports of policemen acting like barbarians and goons in enforcing shut-downs. This is unacceptable. They must have standing orders not to use coercive methods. They must REQUEST and not ENFORCE. It’s the citizen who is responsible for his/her life.
Provide support to those in home-quarantine in terms of medical advice and emergency situations. Encourage home-quarantines. Prepare for large scale outbreak if it happens. Keep schools, stadiums, marriage halls, and other facilities ready to be turned into ‘quarantine’ centres if needed.
Rajesh Kumar Singh
khullamkhulla.wordpress.com 