Did 9-day lockdown help Barak Valley restrict the spread of Coronavirus?

On August 23, 2020, based on the request received from all three deputy commissioners in Barak Valley, the chief secretary issued a non-objection for the imposition of restrictions within the jurisdiction of respective deputy commissioners. By evening, Cachar, Hailakandi and Karimganj got to know that there will be a partial lockdown for nine days from August 27 to September 4.

After the tenure of lockdowns got over on September 4, questions were raised on how it benefitted the mass. Each time, a lockdown of this sort is announced, the daily wagers, perishable goods manufacturers, traders and hawkers feel the heat. Weekly, biweekly, and evening haats were asked to remain shut by the administration.

Boon or bane?

“The administrations, world over, are dealing with a scenario that they never faced before. It is easy for someone to look back and connect the dots to say that the lockdowns were a futile act, at least in the early days. One must not forget that the local administrations were staring at piling dead bodies in Italy and other European developed health machinery raising up their hands helplessly,” opines a professor who wished not to be named.

The professor adds, “However, the purpose of the recent lockdown in Barak Valley remains unknown. If it is the pressure on Silchar Medical College and Hospital that the administrations wanted to ease, the lockdown is understandable only if they have successfully managed to improve the facility which is still unclear.”

After announcing the guidelines on August 23, DC Keerthi Jalli had said, “I must be cruel only to be kind.” The deputy commissioner added, “This measure is taken keeping in mind the rising trend of symptomatic cases compared to earlier asymptomatic cases. The need for an imminent break in the chain of transmission was felt and hence this preventive measure is being taken.”

Here is how the number of cases rose during the lockdown in Barak Valley:

There is close to a 50% rise in the number of cases in Barak Valley during the lockdown if compared with the nine days that led to it. “It is not correct to analyse the impact of lockdown by this data,” says Megh Nidhi Dahal, deputy commissioner of Hailakandi.

“We need to understand that the people who tested positive during the nine days of lockdown actually got infected before that. By analysing the data of the coming weeks we will be able to understand if the lockdown has managed to bring some restrain to the outbreak,” asserts Dahal.

Here is how the number of cases grew in Hailakandi during the lockdown:

Yesterday, Hailakandi reported 17 COVID19 positive cases, which is lower than the average case per day registered in the last one month. The deputy commissioner of the district feels that the number of tests done per day is still not up to the mark. “It is not just that we want to randomly test a few hundred people to make the number look big. What is important is that the people who have mild or any symptoms, voluntarily walk to the testing centers and get themselves tested. That is where I have some disappointment, as that number is still not up to the mark,” Dahal shares.

The Hailakandi District Administration has appealed to the people’s representatives and intellectuals to inform and educate the general public as testing is critical. Dahal feels there is fear in people’s minds and that is why they are not getting tested.

Here is a look at the number of cases in Cachar during lockdown:

The merchant associations were at the receiving end of the general public’s criticism as many perceive that they are the ones who influenced the administration to impose a lockdown in order to fill their pockets by hiking prices during panic buying. “We never wanted a lockdown in all three districts of Barak Valley, nor did we ever propose one. We are not in favour of lockdowns as it hurts our businesses too,” says Mulchand Baid, president of the Food Grains Merchant Associations.

While talking about the loss caused by the lockdowns Baid adds, “The essential commodities do not get spoilt, so we have our stock intact, but there are chances that perishable goods like vegetables, fruits might have got rotten.”

He is aware of the criticism of the general public, “The country’s economy is contracting, you can see that the cinema halls and restaurants are yet to open here in Silchar, the tourism industry has come to a standstill, so business owners, across the country, are going through a difficult period and we in Barak Valley are not immune to it,” he adds.

Let’s look at the number of COVID positive cases during the lockdown:

The South Assam chapter of the Chamber of Commerce has strongly opposed the imposition of lockdowns. On August 30, the body held a virtual meeting of its members and demanded immediate withdrawal of weekend lockdowns, “I fail to understand the logic behind the weekend lockdown. Are we trying to say that the Coronavirus infects people only on Saturday and Sunday and then it goes away on Monday,” questioned the president of South Assam Chapter, Vivek Podder.

“When banks are open, it is bizarre that they are asking the private offices to remain shut, the shops to remain shut. What is it that we are trying to achieve by imposing such lockdowns. The private offices pay Goods and Service Tax, contribute to the GDP of the state and most importantly lakhs of people depend on the private sector for livelihood,” said Podder while questioning the government’s decision to impose a nine-day lockdown in Barak Valley.

On the issue of weekend lockdowns, the government did clarify that it was imposed to restrict the gathering on weekends as the virus can spread faster in crowded places. However, the weekend lockdown along with the night curfew has been lifted across the state and the South Assam Chapter has thanked the government for that.

“We are grateful to the State administration for considering our demands and lifting the weekend lockdowns. It is important to have permission to do business round the clock and we thank the state government for listening to us. At the same time, I urge the people in the business fraternity to strictly follow the COVID protocols and play our part in the war against COVID and help the government,” asserts Podder.

So, did the lockdown benefit Barak Valley, was it really necessary for rickshaw pullers and vegetable vendors to lose their money? Those questions will remain unanswered as the experts feel it is too early to opine on the impact of lockdown in Barak Valley, but most of them are certain, that they do not want one more, at least in foreseeable future.

Kushal Deb Roy contributed to the reporting, Ratnadeep Das worked on the graphics