Lift the lockdown

An extension will only increase the human cost

In his meeting with chief ministers on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi rightly pointed out that importance needed to be given to the economy as well. It’s high time the government walked the PM’s talk and decided against a continuation of the lockdown beyond May 3. While some chief ministers are reportedly in favour of extending the lockdown to contain the spread of Covid-19, there are strong reasons for lifting restrictions on economic activity in a meaningful way. There was some logic to the first extension, beyond April 14, because there was no sign till then that the number of