Emerging From Shadows Of A Lockdown

Countries have been following different paths in easing the lockdown. India has quite a few models to choose from

- Paran Balakrishnan

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has extended India’s lockdown by another two weeks so a quick trip to the local kirana store will remain the day’s high point. But thoughts are turning to what a post-lockdown world will be like. And it’s bizarre to say the least. “People using the lift should be encouraged to face the lift walls,” advises one Indian industry handbook.

China and a handful of other countries are stepping out onto the streets before us, so we’re getting glimpses of what the world may look like when we emerge from our houses — basically very different from the one we knew in which social-distancing will remain the norm until a vaccine arrives. That’s likely to be at least 18 months away, at the earliest.

Wuhan, where people stayed indoors for 76 days, is the best example of the post-lockdown world. Wuhan only came fully out of lockdown on April 8. One expat in the city described the alarming experience of stepping out of home for the first time as being “like a kid trying to cross the street without the parent.” Still, he added: “It’s not like the storm’s over. We still have a lot of asymptomatic cases, like silent carriers, so we have to be very vigilant. We still have to wear masks, (do) social distancing and go out just for essentials.”

The Wuhan expat pretty well sums up our immediate future. The immediate future’s going to be about how to live with a still dangerous pandemic. Let’s assume we radically reduce number of all-India new cases. The infection threat will still be there, reminding us we mustn’t shake hands or get overly close to friends or strangers. A hug? Not a chance! Air-kissing — no way. Similarly, there’ll be no big, fat weddings or other social life staples.