Unlock 4: Why Fourth Phase of Unlocking From September 1 Will be Most circular
Unlock 4: With several national-level tests being scheduled in September, this month will be a real test for India's COVID-19 strategy
New Delhi: The unlocking process which started in June after two months of total shutdown will enter the 4th phase from September 1. But it will be more crucial than the preceding three stages as a number of activities will be resumed from this month, though the COVID-19 wave remains
From September 1 to September 6, JEE (Mains) will be held across the country. This is the entrance for the admission into engineering colleges. On September 13, NEET, the entrance for medical college admission will be held. Apart from these two, national level examinations, colleges and universities will hold their final year examinations. So, a lot of activities will suddenly start in a full swing from September.
Since the exams have not been postponed and now there is no chance of the exams getting postponed, public transport, which was functioning at the minimum capacity till unlock 3, will have to achieve the maximum capacity to ensure that exam candidates reach their centres on time.
Metro, local train
Though the ministry of home affairs has not yet published the guideline for unlock 4, several states are in favour of resuming metro trains and local trains. Once these are open, it will be crucial to monitor that all cautions are not thrown to the wind.
Reopening of schools and colleges
It is unlikely that the Centre will give a nod to reopen educational institutions. But the situation will change in unlock 4. Teachers and other employees will be asked to report to the duty. They will take online classes from the school. Additionally, many schools are centres of these national-level entrance examinations. So, educational activities will recommence from September.
No border restrictions
The MHA recently pulled up the state governments for imposing borders curbs while the Centre categorically mentioned that there would be no interstate or intrastate travel ban. From September, the state will have to allow inter-district movement without any restrictions.
Number of cases all-time high
The number of new COVID-19 cases being reported daily in the country has reached an all-time high in the last week of August. The recover rate too is looking up. The number of tests being done every day has also breached all records. Increasing the number of tests is now the focus of India's COVID-19 strategy. As soon as a case is detected, it can be contained easily. So, despite the number of increasing cases, the health ministry is saying the situation is not grim as the death toll has come down. It remains to be seen whether the strategy works out in September as well.