Daily Editorial

The six day lockdown imposed in Delhi after curfew-like restrictions over the past weekend has been necessitated by the dire public health emergency in the Capital. Given the desperate situation, where beds, oxygen supply and critical care facilities are proving inadequate to meet the surge, there appears to be no other option for the government.

The move will also offer doctors and nurses, battling the pandemic at the frontlines, some reprieve. The continuance of essential services, ecommerce and food delivery shows that some of the mistakes of the harsh lockdown of last year have been rectified. However, it is important that the lockdown doesn’t hinder access to hospitals and Covid testing for those who are showing symptoms of the illness.

The message of double masking must also go out loud and clear if we are to break the chain of transmission. Given that livelihoods are also at stake and further extensions of lockdown will hurt the economy, ensuring compliance is the other big challenge for the government.