Confusing the virus, Karnataka-government style

The partial relaxation of the Covid lockdown announced by Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa is unrealistic and will neither help break the chain of the virus nor will it kickstart the economy. The state would perhaps have been better off continuing the existing lockdown than adopting a piecemeal approach without a basic understanding that revival can begin only when the entire ecosystem of supply chain, production and markets are thrown open simultaneously. Now, while the government has allowed all industries to function with 50% manpower, shops that market their products will have to remain shut as only sale of essential goods, besides construction materials, is permitted. This is an unenviable situation for the industry as, on the one hand, they incur manufacturing costs while on the other, there is a pile-up of inventory with the markets closed. Though the government last week permitted 100% export-oriented units to reopen, most of them preferred to remain shut because they could not resume production as factories manufacturing raw materials were not allowed to open.

In another typical case of putting the cart before the horse, the government has permitted all production units, establishments and industries to function, but how the employees will commute to their places of works is a million-dollar question as BMTC will not operate its buses. This will badly hit several small industries including garment units as their workers depend extensively on public transport. With work from home now the norm especially for the IT sector, it has become impossible to function without computers or mobile devices which may tend to malfunction due to extensive use requiring urgent repairs. But while liquor outlets are considered essential services and allowed to carry on business, electronic repair stores are not.

The current lockdown will continue in districts where the Test Positivity Rate (TPR) is high, but in other parts of the state, the government appears to have devised a plan to confuse the virus. While permitted shops can remain open till 2 pm, night curfew and weekend curfew will be in force till June 14. Obviously, the state has no empirical data that the virus will be on the prowl only at night and on weekends. The relaxation amounts to taking one step forward and two steps backwards and points to the complete lack of a consultative process. This dichotomy has been the hallmark of this government right from the start. Instead of taking ad hoc measures, the chief minister should constitute an over-arching committee comprising doctors, industrialists, economists and other experts who will take a decision keeping in mind the overall health of the state.