Lockdown extension decision commendable

The Jharkhand government’s decision to extend the prevailing lockdown restrictions in the state up to July 31, 2020 is commendable and was extremely necessary.

As the state health minister, Banna Gupta, has pointed out, Jharkhand remains at No. 21 in the list of Corona affected states with total infection tally at 2290 and death toll at 12. However, this is not a matter of consolation.

And if the numbers look good that is because the state has been adamant on not relaxing the lockdown restrictions.

Complete relaxation in the existing rules is likely to add to the numbers and the state would really find it difficult to cope with the situation.

Till now the state has done really well in containing the spread as well as providing treatment to the infected. However, the state has limited healthcare infrastructure and all care needs to be taken to ensure that it does not come under pressure due to sudden spurt in cases.

It is true that the economy has suffered a lot due to lockdown and subsequent restrictions.

There are many sectors which are clamouring for permission to operate. But the government needs to keep the collective interest in mind. Allowing beauty parlours, saloons and malls etc is not advisable at this point of time.

The government has indeed taken the right decision and the citizenry needs to support it. So far so good.