The spirit behind 21-day lockdown announced by the Prime Minister was to break the chain of spread of Covid-19 as it is known to spread exponentially. That is why the PM during his speech had repeatedly emphasised “Aap yahan par bhi hain usi sthan par baithe rahiye,” (stay wherever you are) but somehow a state of panic was created among the migratory labour and they were seen on the roads in huge numbers defying the norm of “social distancing” in a rush to reach their respective homes mainly in rural UP, MP and Bihar, rued Brig Gupta. Undoubtedly, it was a lapse on the part of local administration in the affected areas since they failed to communicate the government’s orders to the affected people and simultaneously make arrangements for their stay and food. Rather than depending totally on electronic media like TV, the local administration should have resorted to traditional methods of communication like announcements on PA systems in the localities inhabited by the migrant labour, asserted Brig Gupta.
Had the MHA not intervened in time, this mass exodus leading to inter-state and inter-district movement would have led to unimaginable catastrophe because our rural areas which were hitherto considered as “safe zones” would have become the “red zones” with known feeble and inadequate health infrastructure making it difficult to control its exponential spread rued Brig Gupta.The decision of the MHA to stop any inter-state/inter-district movement totally and provide shelter to affected people in situ is the best option under the given circumstances. It has also directed that anybody seen on the road violating these instructions should be put under 14-day quarantine. States have also been allowed to utilise State Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF) for creating shelters and accommodation for the migrant labours and ensure their sustenance, stated Brig Gupta.
“It is very unfortunate that certain political parties and their leaders are putting undue pressure on the administration to arrange safe return to the state and their homes in different districts including movement of Kashmiris stuck in Jammu. I appeal to them to stop playing cheap politics in this hour of crisis and concentrate their resources to ensure unequivocal success of the 21-day lockdown. The rise in the number of patients in Kashmir is already alarming,” stated Brig Gupta.
Brig Gupta also appealed to the people to understand that the current crisis is different from the past crisis like the Tsunami, cyclones, floods, earthquakes, snow tsunami. They affected a certain part of the country while the other parts remained unaffected. But the entire country now from Kashmir to Kerala and North East to Gujarat is engulfed with the deadly Covid-19 popularly known as Coronavirus. We all therefore have to perform our role as “Corona Warriors”, and the best way to do that is for those not involved in essential services to “Stay Home, Stay Safe” appealed Brig Gupta.