K. Chandrashekar Rao, the Chief Minister of Telangana, sought an extension on the Nationwide lockdown by a couple of weeks to fight the pandemic illness.
On the evening of the 6th of April, KCR addressed a press meet at Pragati Bhavan and spoke about the ongoing situation due to the Novel Coronavirus or COVID-19. The appeal for an extension of the lockdown was due to the increasing number of Coronavirus infection cases.
KCR said, “We can recover from the hit that the economy is taking but we can’t bring back the lives of the people. Lockdown is the only weapon that India has, given the weak health infrastructure that we have. I propose that the lockdown be extended by at least one or two weeks and a call on opening up of the country can be taken after that.”
KCR urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to extend the Nationwide lockdown beyond the 15th of April. He said, “I will request the Prime Minister to consult the Chief Ministers of all the States before any decision is taken, and I will give him my opinion without mincing words.”
Stating the Pandemic illness to be a bigger crisis than the economic downfall, KCR said the economic situation could be handled, but the lives of people could not be risked.
Mr. Rao suggested PM Modi to consult health experts before taking any decision regarding the lockdown, which is scheduled to end on the 15th of April.
According to health experts, India could be at peak with a drastic increase in the COVID-19 positive cases. The coming few weeks are said to be crucial and painful, increasing the numbers to lakhs by June, if the numbers continue to grow at the current rate.
India does not have a healthcare system comparable to the United States of America and Italy. Doctors, medical staff and other people working 24X7 for the treatment of COVID-19, are complaining about the lack of proper equipment and are wearing raincoats and helmets while treating patients.
According to the World Health Organisation, the healthcare system of India ranks 115th, whereas Italy is on 2nd spot. The lockdown imposed in India was the only key to prevent the spread of the virus keeping the cases below 5,000. However, if the lockdown ends, there are high possibilities, the number would jump drastically, increasing the COVID-19 cases in India. Despite the current lockdown, India is witnessing a hike in Coronavirus cases by 500 in just 24 hours.
Till the 7th of April, India reported 4,822 COVID-19 cases with 133 casualties due to the Novel Coronavirus.
Considering all the major facts, Telangana CM K. Chandrashekar Rao said, “The lockdown is impacting all sections of society and the economy at large, but the issue of coronavirus is the biggest crisis faced by mankind and it calls for stern measures. We are not a U.K., or a Singapore in terms of health infrastructure. Experts say that coronavirus would peak in India around June 3, and unless we have measures like complete lockdown in place, we may be faced with a situation akin to the ones existing in the U.S., Spain and Italy now. We will not be in a position to tackle a situation like that and thousands may lose their lives.”
Mr. Rao concluded the press meet with an appeal for an extension of the Nationwide lockdown. Telangana is one of the major States, witnessing an increase of 50 infection cases every day. Till date, Telangana reported 364 COVID-19 cases, being the 4th State with highest number of cases. Other three states are Maharashtra (868,) Tamil Nadu (621) and Delhi (525.)
