CLAMOUR FOR A LOCKDOWN INTENSIFIES IN GUJARAT

With the Gujarat government not in a position to provide hospital beds or oxygen to Covid-19 patients, and the Covid situation in the state spiraling out of control, the demand for imposing a lockdown in the state has intensified. This is despite the fact that Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday urged states to treat lockdowns as a last resort. But with the Covid situation in Gujarat worsening by the hour, the demand for a lockdown in the state is now intensifying, with most doctors, business associations, the High Court and the public demanding a lockdown.

Not ready for a lockdown, the Gujarat government discussed with traders and doctors in Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, Bhavnagar and Jamnagar whether a lockdown should be imposed or not. Medical associations and traders in five out of six cities in the state expressed the view that a lockdown was necessary.

Regarding a lockdown, Dr Kirit Gadhvi, president of the Ahmedabad Medical Association (AMA), said: “Mutations in coronavirus have increased its transmission, which has led to an increase in Covid-19 cases. However, the lethality of the virus has decreased this year compared to last year. People are walking around today without masks. Breaking the chain of the virus requires a 15-day lockdown, instead of a 3-4 day lockdown.”

Former president of AMA Dr Mona Desai said: “Currently, mutations in the virus are responsible for the increase in Covid coronary. If people do not follow Covid-19 guidelines, the government will have no choice but to impose a curfew or lockdown to break the chain of the virus.”

The Ahmedabad Medical Association has written a letter to the GCCI (Gujarat Chamber of Commerce & Industry) to work together to combat the epidemic and has also made some suggestions. The letter to the GCCI states that work should be continued in only those industries that are most needed (with half the capacity if possible), with the rest shut down for at least two weeks to break the chain of Covid infections. The letter pushes for making vaccination mandatory for all artisans to prevent artisans from becoming super spreaders.

A letter has been written to the state government by the Indian Medical Association in Surat demanding a complete lockdown of seven days. “If the lockdown is not imposed, the situation is likely to worsen in the coming days. The health staff are serving as much as they can, but the situation is likely to get worse if these staff lose patience and the health staff get infected with corona virus.”

The Surat Fosta (Federation of Surat Textile Traders Association) has demanded a one-week lockdown in the city. A letter has been written to the Chief Minister in this regard. The letter states that the Covid-19 chain will not be broken just by keeping the Saturday-Sunday closed; demand has been made for the whole of Surat to be under lockdown for a week.

The Rajkot Medical Association has introduced a 21-day lockdown to break the coronavirus chain. Former president of IMA Dr Atul Pandya said that at present, the situation in Rajkot is very dire. Given the current situation, breaking the coronavirus chain is the first requirement and lockdown is being considered as the only option.

Paresh Majumdar, president of the Indian Medical Association, Vadodara, said, “I am not saying as president of IMA, Vadodara, but my personal opinion is that a partial lockdown is required to break the chain of the coronavirus, but the lockdown has to take into account many aspects, including economy, trade and employment. There is no need for a lockdown if people understand and do not leave the house.”