Covid-19: Is it really time for India to reopen?

Except for containment zones declared by local governments and district administrations, the whole of India reopened Monday morning almost to a pre-coronavirus lockdown stage. India had begun its lockdown when coronavirus cases were still only in hundreds -- the national lockdown was announced when there were around 500 Covid-19 patients.

As of Monday morning, total number of confirmed cases was over 2.56 lakh. For four days in a row, the national Covid-19 daily count remained in the touching distance of 10,000. This daily Covid-19 case number is the same what it was in Italy in March-April when everybody across the world became fearful about the pandemic. India has reopened with this number.

Globally, India has risen to sixth place in overall coronavirus cases. Looking at the daily count, only the US and Brazil are reporting more new cases than India. The UK and Spain - the two countries sitting atop India in total Covid-19 cases - are reporting much less number of fresh cases daily. India will very soon be jumping to fourth position after Russia.

Most European countries which are opening up have brought down their fresh cases to a significantly low number. For example, Italy is reporting only a few hundred fresh cases now. Germany, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and Belgium too have brought down their fresh case numbers.

This is what led Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to jab at the Narendra Modi government last week calling the lockdown a "failure". Though, most health experts don't agree with his assertion. They say without the lockdown, India would have been in a much worse condition.

The coronavirus lockdown is being lifted at a time when the worst-affected states are still reporting record number of fresh cases daily. The states that reported new record numbers in recent days - and continue to report in the same zone - include Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir. Kerala too has started touching new high numbers.

Maharashtra alone has surpassed the Chinese official figure of Covid-19 cases. Unlike China, Maharashtra is not nearing the end of the Covid-19 outbreak. Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal are large population states with high density, and increasing case loads.

The lockdown strained both private business and government revenue in the same way it affected employment of millions of low wage earner labourers and migrant workers.

Lifting the lockdown is good for the economy. But is it good pandemic management too?

Unlock 1.0 has thrown open most areas in these states for all economic activities, which increases the vulnerability of a greater number of people to a rabid pathogen. This is also when states are facing troubles to meet the medical needs of the Covid-19 patients.

A short supply of hospital beds is the problem of all states without exception. Reports of patients being turned away by hospitals including those under the government due to non-availability of beds are coming forth almost every day.

Delhi, where Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said almost a month ago that his government was prepared to deal with a surge in Covid-19 cases by expanding the availability of beds, too has seen Covid-19 patients die after waiting for hours and days for medical attention.

Now, the Kejriwal government has ordered that the government hospitals would treat only those Covid-19 patients who are residents of Delhi. This blows into the face of his earlier claim that his government was prepared to deal with any emerging situation.

Maharashtra is also facing a similar shortage of beds for Covid-19 patients and also non-Covid patients who are having a torrid time in getting required medical attention. States such as Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal - big population centres - don't have a robust medical infrastructure. But the states are seeing increasing numbers of fresh cases.

Additionally, there seems to be shortage of testing kits. This has forced state governments to interpret the ICMR guidelines in a way to conduct the least possible number of tests for coronavirus.

While it is acknowledged worldwide that most coronavirus patients remain asymptomatic, not allowing doctors to use their discretion in recommending Covid-19 tests shows the governments don't want to waste a single testing kit.

Current testing guidelines by most states do not allow testing of asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic people even if the physician checking the patient feels the need. Many doctors have batted for more testing to decide the kind of medical management a patient needs if she is to be admitted or treated in the hospital.

Reopening the country from lockdown is bound to bring more people to hospitals than before as Covid-19 suspects. Short supplies of testing kits and hospital beds make the timing of reopening suspect.

Containment zones continue to grow in numbers. In Delhi, they have crossed the 200-mark. The number of de-contained zones is not rising at a matching pace.

People are in distress. In many areas, rumours have driven populations to resort to superstitions. Many groups of women in Bihar, in a series of viral videos, have been seen offering congregational prayers to "goddess corona". Under Unlock 1.0, all kinds of religious places have opened besides malls and restaurants.

Is it really the time for India to reopen? Reopening is more about livelihood but will it not pose a greater challenge to life itself