Chief minister Hemant Soren has sought the views of the people on the kind of Covid restictrions they wanted withdrawn, indicating that the state government was thinking of partial relaxations in current lockdown norms that are in place till June 3, given that the number of cases and fatalities show a downward trend.
Issuing an appeal from his twitter handle on Monday, Hemant asked, "Sathiyon, kaisa hona chahiye unlock? Swastha Suraksha Saptha mein aapke diye sahyog se humne corona ke dusre leher par kabu pa liya. Jeevan and Jeevika ke sangharsh mein ab humara dhyan jeevika pe hai. Esiliye aap apne bahumulya vichar comment kar sajha kare ki kaisa hona chahiye unlock ki prakiya. (Friends, what should be the nature of unlock ? I thank everyone for their support during the health safety week because of which we have succeeded in controlling the second wave of Covid-19. In the fight between lives and livelihoods, our focus now is on the latter. Therefore, I want to know your precious suggestions on ways for unlock).”
Concerned about the massive surge in cases and fatalities, the state government had imposed a partial lockdown, termed as health safety week, on April 22 for a week. Gradually, the timeline was extended and more restrictions were added. During the current phase of the lockdown, which is in force till June 3, the state government had curbed movement of inter and intra-state buses while shops and business establishments selling essentials are allowed to function till 2pm. It also introduced e-passes for those who needed to be outdoors for valid reasons. But those travelling for medical reasons, and members of the media government services were exempt.
All educational institutions have been closed and there is a blanket ban on social & religious gatherings, avenues of amusement & entertainment etc.
Reacting to Hemant's call for suggestions, political parties, trade bodies and residents supported the mve to "unlock gradullay" but all advised great caution. In a statement, former chief minister and BJP’s national vice president Raghubar Das said, “Sector-wise shops should now be allowed to function full swing at least for two days a week. While online classes are on, many students are facing problems in getting stationery, phone/mobile purchase or repair, etc. Similarly, with clothes shops closed, many are facing problems getting garments/footwear for daily use. In order to streamline livelihoods, I would advise reopening of shops by two days a week to begin with.”
Former president of Federation of Jharkhand Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FJCCI) Kunal Ajmani suggested that vaccination certificates be treated as movement passes and industries/entities where everyone is fully vaccinated must be allowed to resume. “All those who have got both their doses must be able to move freely without e-passes and their vaccination certificate be treated as their passes,” he said.
Jharkhand Olympic Association suggested night lockdown. “Unlock should be from 6am-8pm only,” said the sports body.
As per Sunday night's Covid bulletin, the number of active cases have come down below 10,000 in the state. Currently, there are 9,906 active cases while total deaths stand at 4,977. In the last 24 hours, Jharkhand reported 703 new cases and 19 deaths, much lower than the numbers recorded weeks back.
