THE view of public health experts, as discussed in an inter-ministerial meeting on April 21, that the novel coronavirus infection could intensify in May, with a projection of 50,000 cases, in the minimum, and 100,000 cases, in the maximum, of infection is worrying. What remains further worrying in view of such fears is the government’s relaxation of preventive measures which include social distancing protocol and a stay-at-home order. The government ordered a general holiday, beginning on March 26 and now stretched until May 5, aimed at staving off the spread of COVID-19, the disease that the virus causes. Educational institutions and offices were closed, all public transports were halted, inter-district communications were snapped, day-time venturing out on the roads for no serious reasons was made punishable and grocers’ and kitchen markets were allowed to remain open for limited hours. But as the government extended the general holiday for the fourth time on April 23, it allowed all factories, including units in the pharmaceutical, productive and export sectors, to reopen provided that the management ensures issues of worker safety and health and shops to remain open for two more hours and, a couple of days ago, restaurants to sell iftar items.

While such measures increased public presence on the road, which was somewhat restricted till then, the reopening of factories came with grave concerns as neither the government has worked out any health protocol for the workers and has had any oversight in place nor the factory owners have ensured the required health and safety measures, with the social distancing being severely breached. The factories were meant to reopen with less than a third of the work force until April 30 and then with a half of them until May 21, but the factories that reopened are reported to have begun work with four-fifths of the work force. With no health protocol having been ensured, this appears to be aggravating the COVID-19 situation. All this marks a grave danger ahead as the national health services, which government leaders and functionaries have so far claimed to have been adequate, appear to be struggling to cope with the treatment of patients, suffering from COVID-19 or other ailments. With the World Health Organisation saying that about 20 per cent of the infected would require hospitalisation, this makes a worrying situation as hospitals are not adequately prepared to deal with such issues. With a visible lack of coordination among health services agencies, even between the health ministry and the health services directorate general, with each making different decisions on the same issues, as public health experts say, all this could spell disaster if the government does not attend to all issues of health care in a comprehensive manner.

With 46 of the districts fully and 15 more districts partially having already been in lockdown, the relaxation in preventive measures amidst a prolonged general holiday hardly makes sense. The government must, therefore, walk cautiously and put up an effective and adequate fight against the spread of COVID-19 as any breach in the preventive measures could prove fatal and cost hugely.