India coronavirus dispatch: Why we need a greater decentralisation of power

From risks posed by discarded medical waste, to why a strong scientific workforce is our best insurance against adversity, read these and more in today's India coronavirus dispatch

Here is a roundup of articles from news publications on how India is dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic — from the risk posed by discarded medical waste to sanitation workers, to federal limitations, and why a strong scientific workforce is our best insurance against adversity.

Citizens Under Lockdown

Sanitation workers at risk from discarded medical waste related to Covid-19: Sanitation workers and rag pickers are at risk from handling unmarked medical waste emerging from homes where Covid-19 patients are quarantined, medical experts and waste management specialists have warned. Discarded masks, gloves and tissues could be potential sources for the spread of this highly contagious virus, they have said. Read more here.

Lockdown making you restless? Chances are you have cabin fever: Being cooped up in our homes for as long as we have is bound to stir up negative emotions. If you too are experiencing it, you might have cabin fever. Here are some steps that you can take to fight off this distress and irritability.

Long Reads

Neglected frontline workers need coronavirus safety gear: In Maharashtra, the worst-affected state, nurses, sanitation workers, and community health workers say they do not have adequate protection from virus exposure. Despite the high level of precaution that they have been asked to exercise, workers have not received any personal protective equipment from hospitals. Such equipment – masks, gloves, face shields, gowns and goggles – is needed to prevent exposure to the coronavirus. Read more here.

Opinion

Needed, greater decentralisation of power: A crisis of the kind that Covid-19 has wrought will show us that India needs a greater decentralisation of power, and that administration through a single central executive unit is unsuited to its diverse and heterogeneous polity. We cannot continue to regard the intricate niceties of our federal structure as a nettlesome trifle. Read more here.

A lockdown requires a command, an opening will require confidence: It is the quality of governance that will mediate the path to opening up, not just the economics-versus-life debate. The government will have to inspire total confidence in the robustness of the information it is putting out, whether on testing or supplies. Pratap Bhanu Mehta writes on why we need broad-based administrative and consultative measures, to move us from command to confidence, when it comes to lifting the lockdown.

Excess stocks of the Food Corporation of India must be released to the poor: Food transfers are bound to play a big role in keeping poor people alive in the next few months. Food schemes such as the PDS and mid-day meals are in place in most villages; it is mainly a matter of reinforcing them. For this to happen, the central government must unlock the godowns and give plenty of food to states. Read more to understand why.

Managing Covid-19

A strong scientific workforce is our best insurance against adversity: We are living through a time of great adversity. Our best insurance would be to have an independent and strong scientific workforce that is well funded and responsive. This crisis has shown us that we urgently need reliable and scientific knowledge if we are to protect ourselves today, or for that matter in similar situations in the future. Read more here.

What do private labs feel about SC’s order on free Covid-19 tests? In an interim order issued on Wednesday, 8 April, the Supreme Court directed that private labs should conduct coronavirus tests free of cost. Since these laboratories are major stakeholders in the decision, read here to understand what they think of the judgment, how much of it is practical, and what they are expecting from the government.

Tweaking Bhilwara model for other Covid-19 hotspots in Rajasthan, says top official: The Bhilwara model of ruthless containment is being lauded nationally. The Rajasthan medical and health department is facing a challenge in containing the spread of Covid-19 in other hotspots. Read this interview with Rajasthan’s additional chief secretary of medical and health department Rohit Kumar Singh on why the model needs to be tweaked for other hotspots.

Understanding Covid-19

Why children are less affected by Covid-19 but more susceptible: Citing existing epidemiological data, researchers say that 56 per cent of children demonstrated evidence of transmission through family gatherings and 43 per cent had a history of exposure to the epidemic site in China. Read more on the impact of Covid-19 on children.

Asymptomatic coronavirus carriers: How contagious are they? Countries that have successfully avoided being overwhelmed by Covid-19 have used extensive testing and contact tracing, so that healthy-feeling people who had been in contact with someone who tested positive would stay home for two weeks just in case. Read more here.

Cats can catch coronavirus, study finds, prompting WHO investigation: Cats can become infected with the new coronavirus but dogs do not appear vulnerable, according to a study published on Wednesday. This has prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to say it will take a closer look at transmission of the virus between humans and pets. Read more here.

Podcast

How can India rebuild its economy after the coronavirus lockdown? How should the government generate finances and design a fiscal package to stimulate the economy? What must the government do to protect all Indians, especially the poor and vulnerable, and ensure they have income and food security? Listen to this conversation with economist Rathin Roy.