On Monday, India overtook Brazil to become the second worst-hit country after recording 1.68 lakh cases within 24 hours. The capital also reported 10,774 cases in a day on Sunday, despite following a strict night curfew. While some people are obediently adhering to Covid protocols, a few are still stuck in a pre-Covid time frame, without a care to wear a mask, sanitise hands, etc. In the light of these statistics and attitudes, The Morning Standard spoke to a few locals on their thoughts about the night curfew and whether a lockdown is the need of the hour.
Kartik Jangid, 28, CEO, Jangid Motors, Gurugram
The only purpose of a night curfew I can think of is to give a break to police and those in similar jobs. Night curfew in Delhi, Maharashtra and Rajasthan came as a blow to restaurants and small eateries that had just started to get back on their feet. And lockdown, which impacts the livelihoods of too many people who live on the margins, should be wholly avoided as it can be economically devastating. The key here is to ramp up the vaccine drive. So far, India has administered 84 million Covid-19 vaccine doses, of which nearly 11 million people have received both doses.
Sushant Thukral, Founder, Urban Tails, Pet food & accessories shop
Night curfew is a welcome decision considering the sudden surge in Covid cases. Understanding the plight of a common man and yet maintaining the precautions, the government should revise the curfew timings to something like 7:00pm-7:00am, which is feasible for all, and the defaulters should be penalised heavily. As the city is reporting a high number of cases, my family and I have restarted the habit of having Giloy Kadha since last fortnight. We cover ourselves with masks and gloves while going out or dealing with daily vendors for milk, vegetables/fruits, garbage, etc.
Akshaj Alambayan, 13, Class 9 student, Delhi
I feel a lockdown should be imposed. The situation is quite similar to what we saw last year. Schools are closed, and tuition teachers are avoiding offline classes in the names of precautions. We have online lectures, which has changed my daily routine as I cannot go to the park like before and I cannot even go out and play cricket with my friends. Most of my time is spent on the mobile screen and because of it I have gained weight as well.
Meenu Kumar, Founder, Cosmo Arts India Gallery
I appreciate the step to impose night curfew. But I hate the restriction of wearing a mask in the car when only family members are travelling or for that matter when there’s a single person in the car. Chances of the Covid spread are higher in crowded areas such as marketplaces. Therefore, these places should be under tight surveillance. Moreover, companies should incorporate the WFH culture. Even though our work requires experiencing the art in person, looking at the gravity of the situation, we are making efforts to hold virtual meetings with artists and clients for better events.
Janvi Pandey, 30, Investment banking operations, Ameriprise Financial India, Greater Noida
The night curfew seems very illogical to me as usually it’s more chaotic during the day, and people have become way more casual than before. Sanitisers and face masks must be mandatory at all places and overcrowding needs to be stopped. Also, I believe more strict steps need to come from the government’s side. With elections and kumbh mela going on, the cases are bound to rise. On a personal level, we should take all precautions and avoid unnecessary gatherings.
Brij Kishore, 37, Hairdresser, The Grooming Company, Gurugram
I feel that the night curfew will help in controlling the spread up to an extent. It will have a psychological impact, as people had become very relaxed in the past two-three months after the restrictions were lifted. But our salon has been taking all necessary precautions like fogging machines for sanitising chairs, partitions between the chairs, disposable protective gears for the staff and clients. We are doing our bit but the government needs to be consistent with their approach to prevent masses from coming together, enforce social distancing and speed up the vaccination drive.
Vandana Beri, 36, Housewife, Noida Sector 50
I have a 10-year-old differently-abled son and life has been difficult for him all this while. So, instead of stopping him from going to park, I have reduced his time from two hours to 30 minutes because otherwise he gets hyper. He is allowed to play only with a close set of friends with his mask on. I think we need to start dealing with the situation on our own. I don’t think night curfew will make any difference because Covid is equally present in day as well as at night, though gatherings at events should be limited.
Esha Gakhar, 32, Content Creator, New Delhi
The night curfew is a policy that restricts the movement of people at night which was very common in history. This can be considered as a solution to keep the city safe from the spiking Covid cases, but it also affects civilians negatively by preventing them from socialising and relaxing after work or school. Now, if a lockdown is enforced, it will impact not only our financial condition but also our psychological health; as a result, we must carefully consider our options.
Rama Gusain, 46, Owner, Hair Pro Academy, Malviya Nagar
There is no need to impose another lockdown. As the owner of a hair academy, we are facing many challenges. Parents are reluctant to send their children (students) to the academy, fearing they will come in direct contact with other students. However, we are taking all precautionary measures to preserve social distance. I think the government should have more policemen on the road to check, provide sanitisers and masks, and challan people not wearing masks. I recently went to a government hospital close to my home, and the staff said they don’t have sanitisers for patients.