Aurangabad, March 27: There is an air of anger and disappointment over the ten-day lockdown announced by the administration in the district today. The decision will stop the wheels of progress again and it will take a long time for the growth to gain momentum, is the feeling among the citizens.
There is no doubt that the health machinery is under severe pressure to treat the rising number of patients. There are no beds to accommodate the ill. The administration has chosen a lockdown to tide over the crisis but there are many skeptics who doubt whether curbs will reduce the number. They point out the example of Nagpur where the curbs restrictions have failed to arrest the rise of cases. On March 15, the day lockdown was announced in Nagpur, 2297 new cases were detected while on March 27, 3688 cases were found clearing showing that lockdown has failed to make an impact.
While industry and offices will continue to function, the trade will be hit badly by the lockdown. The traders were yet to gain ground after last year’s lockdown when the new edition of curbs was announced. There is a feeling among the traders community that it would be futile to halt trade even as people at large keep moving around flouting the rules. Hotel, tourism, real estate will be other sectors to bear the brunt. The total lockdown is also going to affect the workers, particularly daily wagers, as they are going to lose livelihood.
The district collector, commissioner of police and municipal administrator had held a series of deliberations and consulted political leadership also before the collector took the call on the lockdown. They will have a lot to answer if the numbers do not come down even after bringing the city and rural areas to a grinding halt.
Mask and basic discipline can do the trick
Experts feel that the spread of the virus this time around is not random. It is spreading owing to close contact through droplets. That is why entire families are testing positive. The basic discipline of wearing masks, keeping social distancing and avoiding the crowds can do away with the need for the lockdown. However, all the arms of the administration have failed to ensure this discipline. Hundreds gathered for marriages, roamed around streets or crowded other events, many of them not even wearing mask even, which has led to the numbers rising exponentially.