COVID-19 Response and Governance: Unpacking Lockdown Strategies,
Vaccination Policies, and Societal Impact (Part 2)
One thing we can grant our govt…its virtually an impossible task managing our humongous population, this seething diverse mass of mostly irrational beings. And that fact mitigates the things it got wrong What it truly got wrong, in that it impacted our lives negatively, is the lockdown strategy.
why do I say so? because though a lockdown is warranted, and is the only tool when healthcare facilities are being overrun and overcome, extended lockdowns are overkill. besides unintentionally killing a number of migrants, cases of domestic abuse increased significantly, child helplines rang far more, incomes dropped, the unorganized sector was hit hard, restaurants shut down, taking their employees down with them, economy and tax revenue nosedived with subsequent rise in inflation and a huge jump in fuel prices. all this when it has been conclusively proven that lockdowns Do Not decrease the number of infections, they only spread them over a period of time.
the diktat on masking had only two beneficiaries: the maharashtra govt, which has made rs 920000000 plus in fines upto now and mask makers, a lot of whom are in china. two scientific studies, from denmark and bangladesh, showed that masking had no mileage, in a practical ground situation
there were big holes in the vaccination policy was well. vaccinating the already infected is irrational. and the insistence on mandatory vaccination, with the stated purpose of protecting those vulnerable, is superfluous when it is painfully obvious that vaccination does not prevent infection.
some of the regulations issued were downright ridiculous. restricting store timings is criminal as it funnels people into a narrow time space and actually furthers infection.. and beating utensils…the less said, the better. or maybe not. because what seems to keep people going is not science and rationale, but hope and emotion. and just providing those by beating around the bush carried the day, the two years
read the part 1 of blog here