Best of BS Opinion: The Covid-19 battle, economic dislocation, and more

India’s fight against Covid-19 took a worrying turn on Tuesday after over 400 people with symptoms were evacuated from a mosque in Delhi. Meanwhile, the Union government told the Supreme Court that 500,000-600,000 migrant workers have reached their villages after the lockdown. At the aggregate level, the incoming information suggests that containing the epidemic might take more time than previously estimated. Business Standard Opinion pieces for the day talk about various economic aspects of the pandemic.

Even though it has not materially changed its borrowing programme for the fiscal year, the government should start working on a wider macroeconomic strategy to not only contain the damage but also enable smoother recovery, argues our lead editorial

Over the next few weeks, the government must come to a conclusion as to how to deal with the crisis in the power sector, notes our second editorial.

What would be the lasting impact on economic output and the financial markets? Should everything not return to normal on the day of the restart? This is where the ability to stop the clock comes into question, writes Neelkanth Mishra

The current crisis could well be the spur for greater globalisation. With nowhere being safe, companies will spread their risks, instead of concentrating their investment and sourcing from the cheapest and the most efficient suppliers in the world, writes Sanjay Kirloskar.

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“It is most important and crucial to point out that this kind of migration by the migrant workers on their own in large numbers defeats the very objective of the preventive measures taken by the Central government”

 Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla to the Supreme Court