It’s Circuit Breaker

November 20, 2020
Ahmedabad Gujarat

Edit note: So this weekend-curfew announced for the city of Ahmedabad can better be called a circuit breaker and such circuit breakers are very common these days in many countries including many prosperous and developed countries. You can google about it. Circuit breaker simply explained is a time-bound, inconstant lockdown. Circuit breakers can be frequent or regular also. The primary concept is to slow down the spread. Being a business state, believe me the government in Gujarat would impose such circuit breakers at this point only when the available resources – in this topic, the healthcare resources are completely exhausted. The government would add extra beds, it is adding, yesterday I heard they were erecting a new oxygen tank at Sola civil hospital, the government may eventually have to hire a stadium in order to create medical facility if number of cases rise extra ordinarily, but beds are not a problem, place is not a problem, even ventilator and oxygen supply issues can be tackled, but the real problem would be about availability of matching number of doctors and trained para medical staff. At some point resources would fall short or let me say quality and dependable resources would fall short. And therefore this circuit breaker and possibly many more and at many more places. So while lockdown is passe, circuit breakers are here to stay.

While errant behaviour of the people was very evident in pre-Diwali shopping season, and pictures of crowding of shoppers at Bhadra market in wall city Ahmedabad had caused lot of worries, the government it appears deliberately didn’t want to take hard actions. One reason could be that, the number of cases was in control at least then, and the other reason, if businessmen already hit by slowdown linked to earlier lockdown and covid-19 pandemic were not allowed to do business in prime Diwali season, it could have far reaching economic and social consequences. The government however could during those days build up a ‘B’ plan and start preparations to increase the number of additional beds and related resources. The government, instead, announced reopening of schools and colleges in limited strength (which has been postponed now), the ruling BJP announced its chintan meeting (which also has been postponed now). It appears the government was not perfectly in touch with developing ground situation of rise in number of cases, and potential rise further due to crowding and socialising before and around the festival. Nevertheless, just on Labh Pancham, the last day of five-day festival Diwali in Gujarat the government yesterday announced weekend curfew and night curfew for the city of Ahmedabad. Experts believe, those infected during Diwali season may continue to come searching for beds with covid symptoms even during the next week.

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#CoronaVirus

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