Best of BS Opinion: Unemployment rate, coronavirus outbreak, and more

The government has said that the Covid-19 pandemic is in the “local transmission” stage. The total number of cases went up to over 1,100 on Monday. Business Standard opinion pieces for the day talk about various aspects of the pandemic.

Without more universal and rigorous testing, it is difficult to gauge the next step: Whether to extend the lockdown, tighten it or end it, argues our lead editorial.

The vital measure required in the current situation is to universalise benefits— access to cooked food for those who have no access to a kitchen, places to hunker down if landlords