Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray knew that imposing a blanket lockdown wouldn’t be wise — politically and economically. So, he chose to convince all stakeholders before imposing strict curbs in order to contain the sharp rise in cases. His approach served some important purposes. He safeguarded himself against  criticism that PM Narendra Modi faced for imposing a lockdown last year.
 
Thackeray issued a caution last week itself, telling citizens to cooperate or face a lockdown. The warning evoked an adverse reaction, but the state had to find a way to control increasing infection. In his group interactions, the CM bluntly posed a question to the leaders from commercial/industrial sectors and opinion makers in media if they could suggest any better alternative to a blanket lockdown or lockdown-like measure. Since there was hardly any convincing answer, the CM opted to impose curbs on weekdays and a blanket lockdown on week-end. The decision pleased the coalition partners who didn’t want a blanket lockdown. Thackeray called up opposition leaders Devendra Fadnavis and his cousin Raj Thackeray, seeking their cooperation once curbs were imposed.

‘Fear replaced by carelessness’

We can say the CM is politically correct in his approach and we can hope that he achieves desirable results only if the administration and the citizens collaborate with each other. The saving grace is that the citizens have been allowed activities, especially essential for uninterrupted earning. Considering the curbs, it appears that it wouldn’t be as tough as last year’s lockdown. The learning we had last year should teach us in helping save lives. The priority is to break the chain of infection. We have to think of the curbs medically rather than as curb on our personal freedom, which unfortunately was misused after the restrictions were eased. It is a sad commentary on our personal conduct when we flout protocols. We refuse to follow basic guidelines of wearing masks and maintaining social distancing. Indeed, the fear of virus that once ruled our mind space has been replaced by carelessness.