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Written by Vivek Deshpande | Published: June 4, 2020 7:55:34 pm Mehta indulges in the positive versus negative reporting debate while arguing in the Supreme Courts suo motu case in the matter.

VULTURES are natural scavengers. For some, however, they are symbolic of opportunistic predation, at least in a manner of speaking. So, are journalists covering the plight of migrant labourers in the times of a terrible human tragedy unfolding before their eyes akin to vultures? Should they as Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta would like them to restrict themselves to helping the migrants in trouble instead of shooting photos and videos, and narrating their plight in reports? The jury is still out on the matter, but Mehtas elucidation of his point using the example of the much-debated Pulitzer-winning news photograph by the late photojournalist Kevin Carter it depicts a vulture waiting in anticipation of a starving Sudanese childs death is factually misplaced, and hence deeply problematic.

Mehta indulges in the positive versus negative reporting debate while arguing in the Supreme Courts suo motu case in the matter. He also tells his legal rival, Kapil Sibal, to not bring politics into the matter. According to him, the government is doing a lot of good work too, which is not being appreciated. This argument has both neutral and subjective dimensions. When journalists were covering the alleged corruption scandals during the erstwhile Congress-led government, should they have balanced it out with positive stories, if any, that their inner calling probably failed to notice, deliberately or otherwise? How would the party, whose government Mehta now represents, have perceived such journalism?

An interesting media experience is worth mentioning in this context. Both the national and international media were focused on farmers suicides in Vidarbha during the previous decade. This attracted huge government focus on the region with several packages being declared and the whole administrative machinery put to work to ameliorate the farmers lot. The obvious angle of reporting after that was whether the suicides continued at the same rate, or if there was a drop in numbers. This papers investigation suggested that the numbers had indeed started coming down from 2007 from 1,449 suicides in 2006, the numbers dropped to 805 in 2013 in the regions six cotton-producing districts. However, this work was scoffed at by the parties in power today, which were in the opposition then. At least two of the prominent opposition leaders then, who hold key ministerial portfolios in state and Centre today, had openly rebuked this paper on public forums in very disparaging terms. The same leaders started preaching farmers to think positively and not commit suicide when they came to power in Maharashtra in 2014 and when the suicide numbers had started shooting up again.

While a falling or increasing suicide count is an important facet of the farmers suicide saga, it doesnt mean that the farmers were also fluctuating in and out of agrarian distress. It only underlined fluctuations in distress levels. That the farmers continued to live a life in distress was an undeniable fact.

A reporters job is to highlight the positive/s, if any, in the aftermath of measures initiated to tackle the problem, not before it. In the migrants case, Mehta wants us to see the arrangement of transport for migrants as a positive story. He invokes the symbolism of the vulture in Carters photo to vilify the journalists highlighting the misery of the migrants. Mehta should know that the real measures to mitigate migrants sufferings will have to be initiated after they reach their homes. Because whats happening now is just the trailer. Suffering will continue even after they complete their reverse migration. The government will need to undertake the salvaging act then. And, it will be a while after that for the impact of those mitigation measures to unfold. Therefore, Mehta can reserve his anguish against journalists for a later time, if and when they fail to report the positives then, if any.

For now, theres scope to say the current pain of the migrant labourers is largely the making of the government that Mehta is defending. Let alone any bare minimum acknowledgement of government failure, Mehtas labelling of the journalists and activists highlighting migrants pain as prophets of doom is like the pot calling the kettle black.

It is fine for Mehta to call for neutrality and positivity in reporting the migrant crisis now thats his job but to attach political motives to those raising the issue or reporting on it is going beyond the scope of his brief.

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The Supreme Court on Friday refused to allow, at this stage, an intervention application filed by TMC Member of Parliament Mahua Moitra stating that it will be chaotic to allow a respected Member of Parliament like her to submit arguments on the issue. The Supreme Court was hearing the submissions on behalf of the Centre and states on the steps being taken by them to resolve the long-standing migrant crisis that has hit the country during the nation-wide lockdown. Severalintervention applications were filed before the Supreme Court after the court decided to take suo moto cognisance of the case, bringing the issue to light before the top court for the second time.

Read:180 Migrant Workers Return To Jharkhand From Andaman On Chartered Flight

Applications were filed on behalf of several migrant worker associations along with the NHRC and certain individuals including the TMC MP. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta making arguments on behalf of the Centre objected to the intervention applications stating that none of the interveners should be entertained at this stage to minimise the confusion during the hearing. The bench agreed with the Solicitors arguments, while also allowing the counsel for Moitra to put forth their stand. Advocate Jaideep Gupta, appearing for Moitra, told the Supreme Court that she had filed an application earlier before the Supreme Court as well, but at that time, her application was dismissed because the Supreme Court had left it up to the government to decide what needs to be done to solve the crisis.

Read:'Kerala Economy Struggling, Cannot Pay For Return Of Migrant Workers': State Govt Tells SC

Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul told Gupta ,Moitra is a respectable member of Parliament and if we allow this, it will become a chaotic situation. We have the assistance of the Union and the states for now.

Justice Kaul went on to say that they dont want this to become a jamboree right now by allowing everyone to argue. The application filed by Moitra, however, was not dismissed at this stage, with the Supreme Court reserving its order for June 9.

Read:Coronavirus Live Updates: SC Suggests '15 Days To Transport All Migrants'; Cases At 226770

Read:Bihar Police ADG Recalls Letter Warning Districts Of 'law & Order Issue' Due To Migrants

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Allowing TMC MP Mahua Moitras intervention into the migrant crisis will be chaotic: SC - Republic World - Republic World

Written by Kailash Satyarthi | Updated: June 4, 2020 4:25:55 pm Passengers wait for their train at New Delhi Railway Station in New Delhi on Wednesday.

During and in the aftermath of catastrophes, crises and wars, the collective way of the life of citizens is impacted hugely. In todays interconnected world, Covid-19 is not just a health, an economic or a humanitarian crisis. Its also a crisis of civilisation. Civilisations evolve as a result of a collective response to historical events and changes in human ecology, and despite differences, have some elements universal in nature. During the last few decades, globalisation and unprecedented advancements in communication and technology have further increased the commonalities of human civilisation.

The ongoing pandemic has the potential to weaken the foundation and the very fabric of our civilisation. This may alter not only the way we live and work but also deeply impact our interpersonal relationships, our core values and the nature of state and governance.

Even as I write this, I am haunted by horrific images of dismembered fingers clutching the last morsels of rotis, belonging to 16 migrant labourers who laid down to rest on train tracks during their long walk home, only to be run down by a train, in Aurangabad. They were among a few of the millions of men, women and children who are walking on the roads, desperate to return to their villages without any means of available transport. I also cant forget 16-year-old Cheng, a resident of Hubei, China. Living with an extreme form of cerebral palsy, Yan Cheng died all alone when his father was taken away after contracting Covid-19.

Similarly, hundreds of child labourers were found abandoned inside dangerous gold mines in South Africa whose employers ran away to safety. In India too, my organisation along with the authorities, continues to rescue and help child labourers who were locked up and left to die. Neighbourhood after neighbourhood of immigrant daily wage earners in large cities of India, Brazil, Nigeria, Thailand and many other places are being left abandoned, resulting in demographic imbalances.

On the other hand, people who are safe but forced to stay indoors are scared and grappling with a multitude of mental issues such as depression and anxiety. There is ample evidence of an increase in domestic discord and violence. There is also a horrific rise in online child sexual abuse and child pornography. Its worrisome to see our children facing many psycho-social problems such as anger, anxiety, loneliness, loss of motivation and focus. Phone and television screens are not a substitute for meaningful social interactions and physical activity.

These are some indications of a crisis of civilisation but there are other crucial factors at work. Collectivism is the foundation of any civilisation. Collective thoughts, experiences, actions, beliefs, perceptions and traditions contribute to building a civilisation. Efforts for sustenance and survival, a quest for freedom, a pursuit of knowledge of the unknown, a search for happiness and a desire to create and innovate are also among the key propellers of a civilisation. These manifest themselves in the creation of language, art, sculpture, habitat and help define citizenry and governance. Therefore, civilisations are not built through knowledge, wisdom and intelligence only, but are also a result of a wealth of shared human emotions. The state response to fighting the pandemic, reviving the economy and protecting law and order are all fine. However, equally important is the emotional response while dealing with the most vulnerable.

Why are millions of migrant workers feeling so helpless and fearful that they are literally running away from the cities to the perceived safety of their homes? Is it only the fear of Covid-19? I believe they have lost faith in the civilised world of the city they entrusted with their livelihood, including employers and the state.

The pandemic has exposed and deepened, perhaps the ever-existing emotional disparities between the makers of the infrastructure of our civilisation and its elite custodians. Further, this highlights the differences of perception and the grave cognitive dissonance. Also, there has been blatant social discrimination and visible divisions based on religion, caste, gender and race even among the relief efforts to combat Covid-19. There are many potential dangers and threats to our civilisation.

First, in this crisis, existing massive income inequalities, based on an economic system focused on profit-making and wealth creation, will be exacerbated. This will further marginalise and deprive the vulnerable sections of society, pushing them to chronic poverty, hunger and deprivation.

The ever-increasing dependence on modern technology which will reduce more and more workers as liabilities. This will not only dramatically result in massive lay-offs but in increased demand and worth of highly specialised and productive human resources. Obviously, this small class will emerge as the new Brahmins, out-casting a larger unproductive section, i.e. the elderly, uneducated, disabled and others.

This could further lead to an upsurge in extremism, escalation of tensions between different sections of society, violence and crimes affecting our way of life. Advanced security measures, robust vigilance and policing will become the new normal. This may also lead to discrimination and profiling of criminals on the basis of religion, caste and colour and divide us further.

Secondly, divisive politics based on populism, hate-mongering, individualism, protectionism and hyper-nationalism has already damaged the foundations of inclusion and collectivism. The existing leadership of different countries may become even more powerful now. Certain decisions taken by leaders for public interest and security may end infringing the rights and freedom of individuals and citizens resulting in further neglect of the disadvantaged. Paradoxically, massive political instability, chaos and even anarchy may also surface in countries with indecisive leadership.

After the industrial revolution, our civilisation has evolved significantly. The struggle for democracy, liberty, protection of human rights and efforts towards inclusive development have all been steps in the right direction. Given the current state of affairs, we may end up undermining these efforts and fail to protect democracy, human rights and social justice for all. This will contribute to a crisis for our civilisation.

Thirdly, the nexus between the state and corporates is so deep that those in power view everything through an economic lens. The conditions created by Covid-19 is enabling them to view labour and industrial reforms with the profit-making maxim under the garb of legal amendments. This essentially means that the workers lose their collective bargaining power. The easiest way to do this would be to force them inside the unregulated and unorganised sectors by replacing formal production processes and deregulated supply chains. This will also be done to attract foreign investors.

We must not forget that the role of the working class through the course of history was not only industrial production and rendering services through selling their manual and mental labour, but they have since contributed immensely in establishing and strengthening democracy, freedom and gender equity. The post-Covid-19 world may destroy this hard-earned progress made over many centuries and further contribute to the crisis of civilisation.

Fourthly, the principles and norms of morality and ethics of any civilisation are carved out over a long time period. They are not necessarily applicable everywhere and at all times. However, some core values act as the moral compass through the course of civilisation. We have already been experiencing a moral deficit for quite some time. Now, the combined forces of media, technology and markets construct and establish moralist figures for their own vested political and economic interests. These forces may emerge stronger and further weaken universal moral values that help sustain human civilisation.

Fifthly, the post Covid-19 world is bound to become unimaginably digital and virtual. During the lockdown, hundreds of millions of people across countries are forced to work from home while their children have to take online classes. This will become the new normal for most of us, abandoning places of socialisation and human interaction. Relationships forged through social media are largely superficial and can never replace the depth of human connections.

Furthermore, Artificial Intelligence, the Internet of Things and yet-to-be-invented technology will control education, health, government and businesses, leaving teachers, doctors, priests and mentors increasingly irrelevant. Physical interactions as well as sharing feelings of excitement, love, joy, anger, frustration and grief with our loved ones are vital to human existence and the shaping of a society. This situation may cause serious damage to our civilisation.

However, challenges and uncertainties also pave the way for innovative solutions. The current scenario is no different and can certainly be turned into an opportunity for strengthening our civilisation.

I have a four-tier approach in mind that can help us deal with the above challenges. My thought is based on four elements Compassion, Gratitude, Responsibility and Tolerance. I am proposing nothing new here. All these elements are already present and are rooted as basic human values across cultures and religions. The attainment of liberty, dignity, justice, equality, sustainability and peace should be the key goal of our civilisation. These are not merely ideals and principles but are achievable realities.

I keep emphasising that unless we feel others pain and suffering as our own and make endeavours to alleviate them, a truly civilised society cannot be created. This is Compassion. This compassion should be the backbone of our political, economic, religious and social lives. To save our planet, this compassion should be extended to animals, birds, trees, rivers, oceans, mountains and deserts too. This is why I strongly advocate the globalisation of compassion.

Also Read | Its not too late for governments to ensure that vulnerable get cash in hand for next few months

Secondly, we should adopt Gratitude in interpersonal relationships, industrial management, governance and administration. It is inherent in all of us and will be uncovered if we are true to ourselves and our surroundings. From the moment we are born to using food, water, clothing, housing, education, health, entertainment, security and all other facilities; there is someones contribution in every wake of life.Business leaders in their boardrooms and politicians in parliament should feel grateful for the hard work and sacrifices of many others in contributing to their wealth and power.I strongly feel that building a supply chain of gratitude is essential for cultivating mutual respect, love and harmony in all facets of life.

The third element is creation of an Internet of Responsibility. Since, our problems and solutions are interconnected, we must practice living with shared responsibility.The spirit of globalisation has already been under attack for quite some time. The fast emergence and acceptance of neo-nationalistic politics, violent extremism and anti-immigrant and anti-refugee sentiments, monopolies of few countries and companies on advanced scientific knowledge and technology and events such as Brexit are some such indications. Looking at current trends, not only WHO and other multilateral agencies, even the United Nations may face serious financial and political challenges.

If public life, the cut-throat competition in acquiring desired jobs or earning money and tearing apart the familial and societal fabric will be exacerbated in a post- Covid-19 era. Therefore, equally important is to reinvigorate the sense of mutual responsibility. If we can create an internet of things, an interconnected and inter-propelling world of invisible virtual realities, why cant we craft an Internet of Responsibilities?

The Fourth element is creating a Universe of Tolerance. Intolerance has been the most common reason for clashes within civilisations. On the other hand, tolerance has nurtured co-existence among diversities and differences. During wars, pandemics or other catastrophes, there is a certain rise in feelings of empathy, charity, relief and help but they hardly sustain once the crisis is over.Then, the world of citizenry and states start shrinking in ever smaller circles of nationalities, colours, races and identities of religions, giving rise once again to deep-seated intolerance. The existing disrespect for other faiths, cultural and linguistic plurality, ideological differences and political dissent is likely to grow.In spite of different celestial objects exerting various electro-magnetic and other forces upon each other, our universe exists because they are able to find a state of balance and harmony. We must build a Universe of Tolerance to save our civilisation.

In Indian mythology, the creator of the world Lord Brahma is said to have four faces. These are symbolic of creation, protection and progress in all the four directions. We can interpret them as Globalisation of Compassion, Supply Chain of Gratitude, Internet of Responsibility and Universe of Tolerance. There is no substitute to a shared future of humankind. How we shape it is up to us.

The author is a Nobel Peace Laureate. Views expressed are his own

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Kent County Council leader Roger Gough

A desperate situation in Kent will be made worse by the introduction of the governments new 14-day Quarantine Regulations for all new arrivals into the UK, says the County Council

The new regulations come into force on June 8 but make no separate provision for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC). This means Kent County Council (KCC) will have to isolate all new UAS children for two weeks but with the authority says with resources already exhausted this will be difficult to achieve.

Roger Gough, Leader of Kent County Council said:As always, the health and well-being of children in our care is our foremost priority and I am again appealing to the Home Office to intervene.

We are seeking to respond to the new regulations and discharge our responsibilities, however, with extremely limited resources left the expectation is that we will no longer be able to accommodate any further new arrivals within four weeks.

Under the 1989 Children Act, KCC is responsible for all UAS children arriving on Kent shores and has seen record-breaking numbers so far this year, with 65 arriving in May, the highest number in five years, and 17 already in the first four days of June.

KCC is currently caring for a total of 482 under 18s UAS children, more than double the allocation for the authority in the current voluntary National Transfer Scheme. Kent is also responsible for 936 over 18s UAS young people who, under current legislation, will remain in the councils care until they are 25.

Costs to care for these children are currently 200,000 per month, and rising, in excess of the funding provided by central government.

With all four UASC reception centres in Kent now full, the council was able to refit and bring into use additional accommodation for nine children but the arrival of 16 new UAS children on June 3 has already filled this and it is estimated that it would take up to three months to secure additional suitable premises.

To abide by the new Quarantine Regulations, the council now has to double-up children in rooms, breaching Public Health England social distancing guidelines and putting them at risk of infection. This will vacate one 40-bed reception centre to provide single rooms to isolate new arrivals for two weeks but it is possible with the current arrival rates that this limited capacity could quickly be filled.

In his letter to the Home Secretary appealing for intervention sent on May 22, Mr. Gough stated that UAS children care resources in Kent had run out of road.

He said without immediate intervention and the urgent reactivation of the National Transfer Scheme to fairly distribute UAS children nationally, including sufficient funding for receiving local authorities, the situation in Kent would become unimaginable and unsafe for children.

While still awaiting a response to this appeal, KCC and the Local Government Association have continued to petition other UK local authorities and have received some assistance with agreements in place to take a total of nine children so far.

Cllr Gough said:This unthinkable position is not one we want to find ourselves in but without immediate intervention from central government the only resolution available to the council is the Mutual Aid Provision of the 1989 Children Act which allows the council to seek support from other local authorities. But this protracted process will not provide the help we need now.

The quickest solution would be to raise the UAS children Care Leavers Rate, which is currently significantly less than care costs incurred by local authorities, to incentivise other UK councils to bear some of the burden. This is essential to getting the National Transfer Scheme working again.

The new quarantine regulations, coming at a time of a rapid increase in new arrivals, are pouring petrol on the fire. What we need is for central government to support local authorities in resolving this crisis immediately.

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India is beginning to show early signs of Covid-19 response fatigue in the initial phase of lockdown 5.0 or Unlock 1.0.

It is quite evident that the public has been bombarded and desensitised (quiet unintentionally) to all Covid-related matters in the past few months. The media, too, appears to be moving on to other stories like the components and contours of the economic stimulus package, or Chinese incursions. Daily media briefings by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare have been discontinued, and the government appears to have been drifting from one lockdown to another, without defining the benchmarks of success for each phase or revealing a long-term plan.

The migrant crisis has been so mismanaged that it defies logic and common sense, and reflects a disdain for human lives at their most vulnerable. Even the economic stimulus package had no clear long-term vision.

The government seems to have lost focus, and appears to be leaving key decision-making to states and districts, but has not provided an all-encompassing governance framework to coordinate the response. Some decisions like runningshramiktrains and allowing domestic flights have been taken withoutconsulting statesorrelevant stakeholders,or before guidelines have been issued. There is seemingly no sense of solidarity among states, or a unifying vision.

We welcome themove to decentralisedecision-making, which is whatwe have advocated earlier, but we also need a game plan to coordinate the response nationally, and to come up with a long-term vision.

Covid-19 will test our tenacity, grit, resilience, and patience as a nation.India needs to carefully consider, plan and prepare for all possible scenarios that could arise out of the Covid-19 crisis.

Also read: Modi got all the credit for lockdown. Now, he wants states to share risk of unlocking India

Moving forward, weneed to visualise the Covid-19 response like athree-dimensional chess game, with health, economy, social, and political fronts being the multiple boards. Like in chess, we need to not only weigh the pros and cons of all the moves available to us, but also anticipate the opponents counter-move and plan the subsequent response. And, like in chess, there are three phases opening, middle-game and end-game.

The past five months from the first case to the successive lockdowns can be construed as the opening phase. We decreased the rate of spread and confined a majority of infections to a few districts. The middle-game, which will be longer, can be envisaged to last from now until an effective treatment or vaccine comes to the market. The end-game will begin with deployment of the treatment or vaccine nationally.

We need to begin the middle-game by clearly defining the broad objectives to achieve. The government does not seem to have clearly defined the objectives of the lockdown. Itsent a genericmessage thatthelockdown will defeatcoronavirus, which can be interpreted in myriad ways. Sometimes, it appeared as if theaim was to achieve zerocases, butthen it was changed to building healthcapacity.

With the increasing number of cases, migrants woes, and testing numbers still low, many have arguedthat the lockdown is a failure.

A few continue to present a totally positive spin on the lockdown,by selectively presenting cherry-pickeddata on how India is faring with respect to the rest of the world.

We,like others, feel the lockdown had elements of success like gaining time to build our health infrastructure, increase our testing capacity, focus on behaviour change and puttingresponse systems in place.

This divergence of opinion can be attributed to not communicating the aimsclearly beforehand, and metrics of evaluating success or failure.Therefore, we need to define the objective of the middle-game now.

Also read: First day of Unlock 1.0 Delhi shuts its border, street food vendors back in Chhattisgarh

Are we aiming for a draw (mitigation of the virus) or a win (suppression of the virus)?

Do we accept that a certain number of cases will occur for foreseeable future and we will focus on managing these and prevent the health system from collapsing?

If so, what is the tolerance limit for our health capacity, and is the capacity equitably distributed across our country? Or, do we aim to bring the number of daily cases to near zero?

If the latter, what is our contact-tracing strategy?Have we strengthened our surveillance systems and isolation capacity? Or, should it be a mix of both, and if so, what are the quantitative thresholds to move from one to another?

What are the economic and social objectives to aim for in the next phase?

We need to conduct a series of thought experiments by enumerating all scenarios that can play out, and the options available to address them. We need to ask questions on how different things can pan out.

Then, we need to use this to develop complex matrices of scenarios and agame plan for each one, with contingency plansat specific quantitative thresholds built in. We should communicate our options, approaches, and plans more openly and transparently. This will instil confidence in the public, boost their morale and help seek active participation.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said: Any assessment can only commence after the lockdown is lifted fully; theres a lot of uncertainty.

Uncertainty by itself should not be an excuse not to plan, but more of a reason to have a well-thought-out network of plans. Unpredictability is more corrosive than uncertainty.This policy of having no policy reveals a fatalistic mindset, kills the confidence in response, and subdues the animal spirit. Having an elaborate plan, which is substantive and not superficial, conveys to the public that the government is proactive, ahead of the pandemic, and in control of the situation.

Also read: Sensex climbs to 3-month high on hopes that ease in lockdown will reboot economy

The next requirement is to maintain presence of mind when the best-laid plan goes awry the government must assess the situation, think on its feet and take corrective action so that the main plan is not affected.

Lockdown 1.0 set in motion the migrant crisis, but the government was unable to manage it, underestimating the size of crisis, discounting the desire of migrants to return home, disregarding their reasons, overestimating the risk of national spread, and misreading the political blowback.

The governments should be able to do rapid assessment after major decisions and take corrective actions.For instance, once theshramiktrains started, they should have monitored the situation on how many new cases are arising from train returnees. By not assessing these parameters, both the central and state governments leave room to blame one another and escape accountability.

When more relaxations are announced, like when malls openor when educational institutions are allowed to restart classes, the government should measure the mobility increase, social distancing adherence, and impact on the rate of increase in cases.The data stream should be more disaggregated and allow the government to estimate risk of each decision.This will aid in taking prompt remedial action based on data.

Also read: The night curfew in unlock 1.0 is outdated. Indians still think bad things happen in the dark

The government does not seem to trust the public, and wants to take decisions on peoples behalf (such as implying thatincreased testingwill create panic,suppressing ILIsurveillance data,misclassifying or not reportingdeaths). Community participation, what some call thesocial vaccine, is most critical since restrictions are being relaxed just when we have the highest daily cases, and people are keen to get back to a new normal as quickly as possible.

The public needs to be an active participant in the management of the middle-game. The government should seek support by having honest conversations about community transmission and laying down cards on the table in terms of allscenarios, risks involved, and options. It should create hope by showing potential paths out of the labyrinth.

The next phase has been termed as returning to a new normal and learning to live with the virus. If the government lays out all scenarios, proposed actions and reasons for those actions systematically, and gains public support for the same, that could be its defence against accusations that it is bringing in unnecessary reforms under the guise of pandemic response.

It will also compel the government to take action and not seek refugee under the umbrella of uncertainty.

Our middle-game, and how we chart it, will define what we can look forward to over the next few months and beyond a consolidated effort based on adequate planning, partnerships and precise data, or a continuation of status quo.

Given the novel nature of Covid, we may build the boat as we sail, but at least we should chart potential routes till the end-game begins.

Dr Manjunath Shankar is a public health specialist, health economist and disease modeller.He tweets at@MonJunNot.

Dr Anant Bhan is a researcher in global health, bioethics and health policy.He tweets at @AnantBhan.

Also read: Lockdown flattened the wrong curve GDP instead of Covid: Rajiv Bajaj tells Rahul Gandhi

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