India Fighting Covid19 — Are Relaxations a Good Idea?

Online Shopping

Covid19 is one of the most challenging pandemics for human beings across the globe. Millions of people have been tested positive, and doctors, healthcare professionals, and scientists are earnestly striving to invent a vaccine for the same.

According to initial reports, people aged above 60 years of age, having a low immune system, or co-morbid diseases were at a higher chance of getting infected. However, stats now suggest that the virus can attack anyone, irrespective of age, gender, geographic location, income level, status, or occupation.

Keeping in view the severity of the pandemic, nations across the globe suggested a lockdown. Schools, cinema halls, shopping malls, offices, markets, clubs were all shut down, except for essential services like grocery, dairy, and medicines. Students started attending online sessions, and employees made efforts to work from home. Citizens followed social distancing norms, personal hygiene, and cleanliness.

In India as well, on 23rd March 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a 21-day lockdown. This was an attempt to restrict the spread of the virus. Initially, people faced several challenges, but with time, they found ways to spend time productively during the lockdown.

On 14th April 2020, the last day of the 21-day lockdown, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced to extend the nationwide lockdown till May 3. While this was an important step to contain the spread of Coronavirus, he also shared the chances of certain relaxations.

In another announcement made two days later, the Ministry of Home Affairs exempted certain operations from the lockdown guidelines. More information about the same can be read here.

These exemptions also pertain to E-commerce in India.

Is e-commerce/online shopping more important than one’s life?

Let’s take a brief look at the order processing pattern for e-commerce:

1. A customer places an order on any of the e-commerce websites.
2. A seller receives the order.
3. Seller visits the godown/warehouse/factory to process the order. At this factory, several employees are working.
4. Employees pack the order as per the guidelines of the e-commerce platform.
5. A courier partner executive visits the seller’s warehouse to pick up the order.
6. The courier partner executive returns to the courier hub, where there are several other employees.
7. The delivery boy leaves to deliver the product to the customer.

Now, in this entire process, there are more than 5 people at the seller’s warehouse, which breaks the norms of social distancing. There are also more than 5 people at the courier partner’s hub. All these people are coming in contact with each other, increasing the chances of the spread of the virus.

Moreover, sellers require packaging material for order processing, which means packaging factories and manufacturers also need to restore operations.

If more than 200 people will daily start stepping out to fulfill e-commerce orders, do we have any chances of curtailing the virus? And this is only a view on e-commerce.

Permitting activities in the field of agriculture is the need of the hour but several other exemptions have also been announced, as a result of which, 20th April onwards, many individuals will be on the road risking their lives and the lives of others.

I wouldn’t like to talk more on this topic but ask the readers if they think this was a good and well-thought-of decision?

Do leave your comments in the section below.