A lot of this could be mitigated if these people were taken into confidence and not thrown into rumours. Local admin can feed them for months easily, in their homes like UP is now trying to do. For months they are planning to deal with this virus and it's really unimpressive.
If Modiji told them first thing that they will be fed for months, right in their homes, that they will be provided money to buy and pay rent people won't run like this. Instead he over do his "aaj raat 12 baje se". Your PR agents will present you as some decisive leader who stopped outbreak of deadly virus with these clips later on but please communicate, allay their fears, pacify them, they trust you.
He will still announce economic package, if only he announced it before lock down it would have clam people a bit. Now that economic package it seems will completely be about industrial world and everyone else can take a hike.
Just a few tweaks and your genuine efforts can be very effective.
Points accepted. But to me, this is 20/20 speaking. Had he opened his cards & announced what he did in a phase wise manner as you've pointed out , there'd be the inevitable stampede to rush home further burdening the public transport system. What does that do for social distancing? Besides, 22nd Mar was a trial balloon. What would have happened had the public responded tepidly or were apathetic? Pls consider the magnitude of the exercise. A nation of 1.3 billion ppl have gone on an almost voluntary lockdown. This is unprecedented. There will be slip ups, there are bound to be some. Let's also accept that our rulers and administrators haven't faced such a situation before. The remedial measures, you're referring to are all gradually being addressed. It's quite possible that not all these would be addressed & even if they are , it'd be inadequate. That's in the nature of emergency responses.





