When should India end coronavirus lockdown? This is the question that people are asking and is being discussed by leaders and those in the government.
In his interaction with chief ministers last week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked them for suggestions for an exit strategy to end the nationwide lockdown enforced on March 24 to contain novel coronavirus outbreak. The 21-day national lockdown would end on April 14. Now, the dominant exit strategy suggestion from the states is to extend the lockdown.
Reports say at least half-a-dozen states, including worst-affected Maharashtra, have favoured extension of national lockdown citing no let-up in the coronavirus situation. Some others have called for graded end to the lockdown. PM Modi in his interaction with the chief ministers had also favoured a staggered lifting of the lockdown.
This state of confusion is because there is no concrete model anywhere in the world to exit from coronavirus lockdown. In China, where Covid-19 pandemic began, the lockdown continued for over two months and was lifted in a phased manner.
For example, in the coronavirus epicentre Wuhan, China lifted lockdown after 76 days. Residents of Wuhan are now being allowed to travel in the city and also cross its borders. But, reports suggest that the Chinese authorities are keeping intense surveillance on the movement of people.
Broadly, there are five focal points around which exit strategies have been suggested world over. Lockdown is widely considered as a strategy coming out of the confusion that the coronavirus pandemic has created. Since the virus is still new and understanding coronavirus is a process in progress, lockdown has bought authorities some time to prepare a plan.
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