New Delhi: With Prime Minister Narendra Modi hinting at a possible extension of the nationwide lockdown, prime time news anchors were preoccupied by the implications of this decision, in different ways.
On India Today, Rajdeep Sardesai continued his state-wise analysis on whether they needed the lockdown extended or lifted, while Republic TV’s Arnab Goswami tried to brace his viewers for the long battle ahead with a long monologue.
Zee News and ABP News focused on reports of an alleged incident of unruly behaviour at a quarantine centre in Dwarka where some people linked to Tablighi Jamaat are under isolation.
Goswami, on Republic TV, was feeling rather sagacious — “Tell yourself every moment again and many times a day, this is a phase, it’s not forever”. He assured his viewers that this mantra will make people more determined in fighting in the “battlefield we are all in”.
He warned that areas would be sealed, and there would be hardships, but instead of resisting we needed to respect hotspots and enforce containment measures. “This is the time, you must not be cavalier about it,” he pronounced, almost like an army general preparing for war.
On Zee News’ ‘Taal Thok Ke’, host Aman Chopra focused on how ‘PM Modi ne diya lockdown badhane ke sanket’ (PM Modi indicated possible extension of lockdown).
Then, shifting focus, Chopra asked, “Jamaat badtameez brigade ka kab ilaaj hoga?” (when will the insolent Jamaat brigade be cured?). He was referring to reports accusing Tablighi Jamaat of misbehaviour at a quarantine centre in Delhi.
“Aap samajh rahe hain na kiss tarah ka ilaaj inka karne ka zarurat hain,” (You understand what sort of cure they need, right) he said rhetorically. No, Mr. Chopra, we actually don’t know.
‘Seedha Sawal’ on ABP News was alongn the same lines. Host Rubika Liyaquat welcomed viewers to her “teekhi” (spicy) 5 pm debate, and discussed how despite the lockdown cases have crossed the 5000 mark.
“Aap jaante hi hain, iski sab se badi wajah kya hain?,” (You know right, what the reason for all of this is?) she asked. And if anyone was still confused by who she was referring to, she cleared it up pretty quickly. Tablighi Jamaat, she declared dramatically, adding that people must not hesitate to even speculate that they are solely responsible.
Discussing the incident of alleged misbehaviour, she listed many other alleged unruly behaviour by Jamaat members in places like Narela and Ghaziabad. “With cases like this all over the country, you tell me, how will we win the war against corona?” she asked.
India Today’s Sardesai focused on the central government identifying 20 hotspots in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, which have to be sealed completely.
Continuing his state-wise report, he spoke to many state leaders, including Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’Brien from West Bengal. With 99 confirmed cases, 5 deaths, and 13 recovered in the state, O’Brien said that he didn’t have an answer about the lockdown extension as that was a call Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will announce in a few days.
He was, however, very keen on explaining how the state government was battling Covid-19. He broke it down — CM Banerjee happens to be the Health Minister and Home Minister of the state, and there is a global advisory board operating under her, which includes Nobel laureate Abhijit Banerjee, and also a team of local health experts, along with several task forces looking at economy and implementation.
“Your testing is still below national standards,” Sardesai told him. “We are waiting for testing kits,” O’Brien finally said.
Al Jazeera discussed how many believe coronavirus doesn’t discriminate among people, considering the number of rich, famous and powerful people who have contracted the virus. “But that doesn’t tell the full story,” said the anchor. She explained how data suggests that if you’re poor or from an ethnic minority, you’re more likely to get sick or die. “Covid-19 is killing Black Americans at a higher rate than anyone else,” she said.
She referred to Gary Harell, a Louisiana resident who has lost 10 friends to coronavirus — eight were African-American, one was Hispanic and one was Caucasian. The State of Louisiana’s recently released data shows a disproportionate number of African-Americans being affected by the coronavirus — so far 70 per cent of the total Covid-19 positive patients in the state are African Americans, even though they only make up one-third of the population.