Visakhapatnam: Mixed reaction to lockdown 2.0

Visakhapatnam: When Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the extension of the lockdown till May 3, people from various quarters welcomed the move.

Given the surge in the number of coronavirus positive cases in the country, they felt that the extension would aid in stemming the spread of the pandemic and thus would yield desired results in the days to come. Meanwhile, the fear of losing their jobs for another month worries those in the informal sector.

Appreciating the PM's decision, G Raghurama Rao, senior dermatologist, says, "The next two weeks are considered crucial.

Extending the lockdown till May 3 will aid in controlling the spread of virus in the hotspots. In a way, it is the most difficult phase for many to endure but maintaining discipline in tackling the pandemic with concerted efforts is the key. After all, nothing is more precious than our life."

Sharing his views, Principal of Kendriya Vidyalaya No.2, Nausenabaugh Nishikant Aggarwal mentions that compared to other parts of the world, India is far better placed in terms of implementing containment measures to control the spread of the pandemic.

"Though we have initiated online classes from March 31 for Classes II to XII, except Class XI, our worry is the 5 per cent of the students who do not have access to the smart phones and as such would miss the online classes. We are devising ways to reach out to them as well," he said.

Though the lockdown extension drew appreciation from various quarters, it turned out to be a big disappointment for those in the unorganised sector.

"Earlier, we were jobless because of the sand scarcity. Now, we are struggling to make both ends meet in times of lockdown. We thought that our struggle would end by April 14.

But we came to know that it is extended for more than two weeks. Even if the lockdown gets lifted, I think it would take months for us to bounce back to our routine," laments Narasamma, a daily wage earner.

Apart from the daily wage earners, migrant workers who wanted to reach their hometowns are left with no other choice than to wait until the lockdown gets lifted.

But those who came for an assignment intend to trek a long route. "We came to Vizag for an assignment from different parts of Tamil Nadu. We booked train tickets for April 16 as our work got completed a couple of days before.

However, our tickets got cancelled as the lockdown period got extended. Since we did not come prepared for such a long stay, we feel like heading to our hometowns at any cost even if it means trekking 800 km all the way," says Anand Babu, a Chennai-based entrepreneur, who came to the city last month along with Mohan Raj and Babu Raj from Erode and Coimbatore respectively.