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Coronavirus update: Lockdown necessary but unplanned implementation causing chaos, says Sonia Gandhi
Congress president Sonia Gandhi said there is no alternative to constant and reliable testing to fight Covid-19.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Thursday said that the 21-day nationwide coronavirus lockdown may have been necessary but the unplanned manner in which it has been implemented has caused chaos and pain in the lives of millions of migrant workers all over India.
“We meet today in the midst of an unprecedented health and humanitarian crisis. The magnitude of the challenge before us is daunting but our resolve to overcome it must be greater,” she said in her opening remarks at a meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), the party’s highest decision-making body, on Thursday.
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Gandhi said there is no alternative to constant and reliable testing to fight Covid-19. “This is the most effective way to combat it. Our doctors, nurses and health workers need all the support possible. Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) such as hazmat suits and N-95 masks must be provided to them on a war footing,” she said.
“Equally important are ventilators and breathing equipment, isolation beds and designated hospitals to treat Covid-19 patients. The onus lies on governments to ensure that the spread of infection and casualties are not caused owing to lack of infrastructure or preparedness,” Gandhi told the meeting held through video-conferencing.
The Congress president said the pandemic has already caused untold suffering across the world, but it has also reaffirmed the bonds of brotherhood that unite humanity.
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“In our country, those who are most vulnerable to the consequences of this pandemic are the poor and disadvantaged. We must come together for their sake and do all we can to support them through the difficult days that lie ahead,” she added.
“It has been heart-breaking to see lakhs of people walking for hundreds of kilometres towards their villages without food or shelter. It is the duty of us all to do our utmost to lessen their suffering. I wish to thank all those who are offering them help, our workers, civil society and people who have shown their kindness and compassion to them.”
Gandhi urged the government to publish and make available details of designated hospitals, number of beds, quarantine and testing facilities, as well as information regarding the availability of medical supplies to the general public.
Referring to farmers, having to cope with the harvesting season at a time when the entire country is under lockdown, she said the government should urgently provide them with fertilisers and pesticides, give them access to easy lines of credit, help them in preparing for planting the kharif crop and remuneration prices to enable them to survive the present economic onslaught.
About medium and small-scale enterprises, Gandhi said they are gravely threatened and have been hit hardest by recent events. “The livelihood of crores of our citizens has been imperilled. Government needs to put in place a comprehensive strategy to manage this crisis,” she added.
“Close to 90% of our fellow Indians toiling in the unorganised sector are also extremely vulnerable. The economic consequences of the pandemic threaten to destroy their livelihood. They are already facing tremendous hardship due to hunger and lack of health facilities. As a nation, we owe them our full and constructive support.”
Gandhi said the middle classes too are vulnerable. “Wage cuts, job losses across all sectors, high petrol, diesel and gas prices are causing them acute distress. If this was not enough, while EMIs have been deferred, no interest subvention or relief has been provided. This offsets the entire purpose of the deferment.”
The Congress chief urged the central government to prepare and publish a ‘Common Minimum Relief’ programme, saying it is vital and help alleviate several of the concerns that currently afflict the people.
She said covid-19 does not differentiate between political ideology, religion, caste, age or gender. “The choices we make today will have a direct impact tomorrow on our family, neighbourhood, community, environment and nation. How effectively we meet this challenge, how we protect all sections of our society, specially the most vulnerable among us will define us for generations to come. Only if we act together in solidarity, we will overcome,” added Gandhi.
Gandhi also urged Congress governments, frontal organisations, party leaders and workers to step forward and offer their help to those families who are at extreme risk. “We must take immediate measures to guarantee adequate shelter, food and medicines to as many of them as we can,” she said.
