Hyderabad (Telangana): Lockdown has played an important role in curbing the second wave of the coronavirus, with some states having declared complete lockdown while some others have imposed partial restrictions. This move of the state governments has proved helpful in breaking the coronavirus chain. However, the economy has borne the brunt of the Covid lockdown. It is directly impacting the treasury of the governments. Along with this, the common people are also facing a serious livelihood crisis with many people having lost their jobs.
LOCKDOWN IN JHARKHAND TILL MAY 27
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren had announced a lockdown from April 22 in the form of Health Safety Week. It was initially extended to May 6, and then to May 13. Now the lockdown has again been extended to May 27, with an increase in restrictions. On April 21, 5041 new cases of coronavirus were reported in Jharkhand and 62 people lost their lives. Then the recovery rate was 78.79 percent, which was below the national average. After the lockdown was imposed, the second wave of Covid-19 started to weaken. On May 14, the State’s recovery rate was 84.05 percent. Industrial activities continued even during the lockdown in Jharkhand. Shops selling goods of daily needs are also allowed to remain open till the scheduled time. However, other activities like tourism, transport and entertainment have stopped. According to data from the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy, the unemployment rate was 11.35 percent in January this year in the state, which reached 16.5 percent in May.
LOCKDOWN IN BIHAR TILL MAY 25
The Bihar government announced a lockdown from May 5 to May 25. With this decision of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the number of new coronavirus patients has been reduced to half. According to government data, cases of Covid-19 have decreased since the lockdown was implemented in the state. Earlier more than 15000 new cases were being reported, which have now fallen below 8000. Similarly, the recovery rate has reached 85 percent. However, according to experts, Bihar has suffered a loss of about Rs 6,222 crore due to the lockdown.
CURFEW IN HIMACHAL TILL MAY 26
The Himachal government announced the coronavirus curfew in the State from May 7 to May 16, which was later extended to May 26. Despite the corona curfew, there has not been a decrease in the number of coronavirus cases and deaths in the state. Now the corona curfew has been extended and the government hopes that there will be a decrease in Covid-19 cases. The tourism sector is in the grip of the second wave of coronavirus. Tourism accounts for 7 percent of the State's gross domestic product, which comes to around Rs 2800 crore annually. The tourism sector might suffer a loss of around Rs 1800 crore including hotels, taxis and tour operators. If the spread of coronavirus continues, it will also affect the apple business.
THE PROVISION OF RS 1 LAKH FINE IN RAJASTHAN
To break the second chain of corona infection in Rajasthan, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot-led government has implemented the lockdown from May 10 to May 24. As per the lockdown norms, if a person is found roaming outside without any reason, then a penalty of one lakh rupees will be imposed. The state has also seen a gradual decline in the corona infection figures after lockdown, where the cases before the lockdown had reached about 20,000 per day. During the lockdown period, it has come down to about 15,000. During the lockdown period in Rajasthan, the state government was specifically allowed to keep the work in the industries smooth to prevent the migration of workers. About 22 thousand crores of damage was estimated in April. After a strict lockdown since May 10, it is believed that the loss of 14 to 15 hundred crore rupees is being incurred every day.
PATIENTS REDUCED DURING LOCKDOWN IN DELHI
The lockdown was announced on April 19 in Delhi, which is still in force. After the implementation of the lockdown, the Covid-19 positivity rate in Delhi is decreasing rapidly. Now it has come down to 11 percent, which was above 35 percent on April 26. According to economist Akash Jindal, the lockdown has a very negative impact on the economy. The lockdown slows down or negatively affects GDP. Lockdown has increased inflation and the unemployment rate as well.
LOCKDOWN TILL MAY 24 IN HARYANA
The Haryana government had declared a seven-day long lockdown on May 3, which was again extended by a week later on May 17. Now once again the lockdown has been extended till May 24. However, before the statewide lockdown was imposed on May 3, the weekend lockdown was imposed in nine districts of the State. Before the lockdown came into force in the State, about 14 to 15 thousand corona cases were being reported every day. At present, the new cases of corona have come down to 10 to 11 thousand. The lockdown has not had a major impact on the agricultural sector, but it has definitely affected the business class. According to an estimate, the state government may incur a revenue loss of around Rs 2200 crore per month during this period. In Haryana, the unemployment rate has been estimated to be 25 to 30 percent.
PHASED CORONA CURFEW IN UTTARAKHAND
Lockdown has not been imposed in Uttarakhand. Here the Covid-19 curfew was implemented in different phases. At the Uttarakhand Cabinet meeting held on April 9, orders were issued to impose night curfew in Dehradun. On April 9, there were 748 corona cases in the state out of which five people died, and 327 people recovered. The sample positivity rate was 3.56 percent and the recovery percentage was 91.61 percent. After this, on April 26, the District Magistrates had issued orders for a full curfew for their districts till May 3.
After this, the full curfew was imposed across the state till May 18. This time, strict instructions were announced and additional restrictions imposed on the people. On May 11, there were 7120 cases in the state, and 118 people died, while 4933 people recovered. The positivity rate was 6.25 percent and the recovery percentage was 66.73 percent. At present, the Char Dham Yatra in Uttarakhand has been completely stopped for pilgrims. Economically, the tourism sector has come to a complete standstill. Industries have been exempted in the state. Except for the departments dealing in emergency services, a holiday has been declared in other departments. Meanwhile, shops selling essential items have been allowed to open from 7 am to 10 am.
INFECTION DESPITE LOCKDOWN IN ODISHA
In Odisha, the lockdown is being effectively implemented from May 5 to May 19. There has been no decrease in the number of infections even after the lockdown has been implemented. The number of infections has increased to 1,17,015 since the lockdown was imposed 11 days back. If we compare this figure with the pre-lockdown period of 11 days from 24 April to 4 May, the number is 85,052. The effect of the lockdown on the economy is estimated to be serious. Although the government has allowed large industries to operate, the shutdown of business activities has had a serious impact on the state’s economy. The activities of agriculture and allied sectors are going on but there is a problem with labourers because there is a fear of corona infection among them. Industrial and construction work is going on but they have to follow the Covid-19 guidelines. However, production from the manufacturing sector is far less than the existing capacity.
LOCKDOWN IN UTTAR PRADESH TILL MAY 24
The number of coronavirus-infected patients started increasing in Uttar Pradesh from April onwards, after which the night curfew was first announced. Despite this, there was no decrease in the number of corona infected patients in the state. There was an increase in the number of patients day by day. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath imposed a lockdown in the state three days a week from 8 pm to 7 am on Monday morning, which was later increased from 8 pm Friday night to 8 am Tuesday.
In April, the number of corona-infected cases has reached about 7 thousand per day. In view of this, the government announced a lockdown from 3 May to 17 May. After the Cabinet meeting on May 15, the Chief Minister decided to extend the lockdown till May 24. The state has seen positive results of lockdown and a sharp decline in the number of coronavirus victims has been recorded. According to the Additional Chief Secretary, in the last 24 hours, 28,404 patients have succeeded in defeating the coronavirus. Currently, 1,77,647 corona cases remain active in the state. This happened about a month ago. The country’s recovery rate is also improving. While there was a recovery rate of 73 percent in April, it has now become 87.9 percent.
The impact of the lockdown has also been felt on the State’s economy. However, in view of the epidemic, the trade organizations themselves came forward to close the market. The government has said that the industries will continue to run but the big question is: Where will the goods produced from factories be sold? The demand is negligible due to the closure of the market. The import business based out of Moradabad has been closed. The handloom sector of Varanasi is completely paralyzed. The entire industry of Lucknow is on the verge of closure. If the system of MSME sector crumbles, then the economic health of the state and the country will collapse. The sad thing is that the provisions the government has made for traders and industries are not benefiting them.
CORONA CURFEW IN MADHYA PRADESH
The corona curfew was imposed in Madhya Pradesh till May 17. However, in view of the surge in Covid-19 cases from different urban pockets, the corona curfew in some cities like Bhopal and Gwalior was extended till May 24. Now corona curfew will be applicable till May 31 in the districts where the number of Covid patients is high. After May 17, the corona curfew will be gradually removed in such districts where the positive rate of corona infection has come down to 5 percent. The number of newly infected cases of the corona has now come to four digits in the state. Madhya Pradesh has been ranked 15th among the major states of the country in the case of corona infection. Corona infection rate had reached 24 percent in the state, which has now come down to 11.8 percent. Every day in the State, where about 13 thousand cases were coming earlier, now only 8000 cases are being reported per day. Due to the corona curfew, it is estimated that Madhya Pradesh will incur an economic loss of more than Rs 21,000 crore.
FULL LOCKDOWN IN TAMIL NADU
A full lockdown has been implemented in Tamil Nadu till May 23. Chief Minister MK Stalin has asked the people to cooperate with the government to deal with the epidemic. At this time, corona positive cases have also been increasing daily in the state. It is expected that there will be a decrease in positive cases after 10 days. The state economy is now going through a recession due to the lockdown. When the first lockdown ended, the government managed to attract an investment of Rs 66,000 crore in 2020. Thanks to this, the economy got a little boost. But now the lockdown has been implemented once again. We do not know when it will come to an end. In such a situation, there will definitely be a downfall in the state’s economic development.
LOCKDOWN IN KARNATAKA TILL MAY 24
Karnataka has announced a lockdown till May 24. On May 5, 50,000 cases of corona were reported in Karnataka. But on May 15, the state saw 41,000 cases. Meanwhile, an average of 35000 Covid cases is being reported on a daily basis. The economy has collapsed due to the lockdown. All shops and establishments are closed. The government has not yet announced any relief measures for industries.
LOCKDOWN AFFECTS TOURISM IN KERALA
Initially, the Kerala government announced a full lockdown for nine days in the State on May 8 and then it was extended for another 10 days. The effect of the lockdown on the Covid-19 infection has not been assessed. The Kerala government has said that the effect of lockdown can be calculated in the coming weeks whether Covid-19 has stopped or slowed down. The tourism sector in Kerala is the major source of revenue, which is completely paralyzed these days. Transport, entertainment, and other such areas are also suffering badly. Daily wage workers, however, are fully protected by the government as their food and other financial needs are being taken care of. The migrant labour population is also allowed to work because the government has not stopped construction activities. At the same time, community kitchens are functioning in all panchayats to ensure that not a single person goes hungry due to job loss and lockdown in Kerala.
PACE OF INFECTION DECLINES IN CHHATTISGARH
Lockdown has been imposed in most districts of Chhattisgarh till May 31. It is, however, permissible to open shops of essential goods with certain conditions, while other shops are closed. After the lockdown in Chhattisgarh, there has been a significant reduction in the number of corona infected cases. In the month of April, where about two thousand cases were being reported from cities like Raipur, Bhilai and Durg, it has now come down to 300 and 500. In the first week of May, 1,01,417 cases were reported across the state, while 69,808 cases were reported in the second week. In Chhattisgarh, many sectors have been badly affected due to the lockdown. In particular, it has badly hit businesses like textile, hardware, electronics, and bullion. Apart from this, rural farmers have also not been able to get the prices of their vegetables. A lot of damage has also been caused to the people engaged in the business of bus transport.
18-HOUR CURFEW IN ANDHRA PRADESH
There is no lockdown in Andhra Pradesh, but the government has announced an 18-hour curfew from May 4 to 18. During this time, emergency services and essential items are exempted. Further, the government will review the Covid-19 situation and will make a decision on the continuation of curfew in the future. In the second wave in the State, around 20,000 new corona patients were reported every day. There is a huge shortage of vaccines here. So the state government has decided to go for global tender. The total positive cases in Andhra Pradesh are 13,88,803. There are 2,03,787 active cases and 9173 people have died of the disease so far. The state is currently going through a financial crisis facing a deficit of Rs 50,000 crore. This financial year the situation is going to be worse.
LOCKDOWN IN TELANGANA SINCE MAY 12
Lockdown has been implemented in the state for 10 days from May 12 to check the second wave of coronavirus. However, to ensure the supply of essential goods and services, these establishments were allowed to open for four hours in the morning. Due to the low Covid tests being carried out, the number of cases in the state has remained low in the last few months. The positivity rate is about 7 percent. The revenue of the state exchequer has fallen due to the epidemic. Movie theaters, clubs, pubs, playgrounds, entertainment venues, and parks are completely closed. However, e-commerce firms are allowed delivery during lockdown hours. The government offices are functioning with 33 percent staff. The state Cabinet will meet on May 20 in which further decision will be taken regarding the lockdown after reviewing the situation.
