New Delhi: Prime time debates Thursday were dominated by the latest addition to the coronavirus vocabulary — cluster containment. Cluster containment refers to the strategy of locking down a particular geographical area with a significant number of coronavirus cases, completely, to curb the spread of the infection.
Several news anchors wondered if this was the next step after social distancing, while some were still not over the Tablighi Jamaat.
In ABP News’ ‘Seedhi Baat’, anchor Rubika Liyaquat announced, “Coronavirus ke khilaaf jung par desh doosre stage par chala gaya hai taaki teesri stage par na jaaye,” (the country has entered the second stage of battling coronavirus so that we don’t enter the third stage).
Liyaquat then proceeded with a countdown, “Only five days to go for the lockdown to get over”. Then she reverted to the blame game, naming and shaming the Tablighi Jamaat’s congregation for the increase in the number of cases.
Zee News anchor Sachin Arora in ‘Taal Thok Ke’ asked, “Jamaat ki zidd legi kitni jaane” (How many more deaths will Jamaat’s stubbornness lead to?).
Then, he played a clip of Congress leader Kapil Sibal reportedly asserting that the lockdown had been a failure. On this, Arora said, “Pata nahi coronavirus ke time par Congress ko siyasat ka mudda kaise nazar aata hai?” (How does Congress see the opportunity of politics during a pandemic?)
News 18 India’s anchor Amish Devgan was also not over the Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi that led to a surge of coronavirus cases. He pondered, “If the Jamaat truly wants to help the nation, then why aren’t they coming forward?”
In a one-sided conversation with Mujib ul-Rahman, spokesperson, Tablighi Jamaat, Devgan asked a rather convoluted question, “Kal tak dar tha ki detention center mein daal diya jaayega aaj dar kya hai?” (Yesterday’s fears were that you may be sent to detention centres, what’s the fear now?)
Devgan wouldn’t let Rahman answer. However, when Rahman called him out for the same, Devgan scolded him sternly, “Aapne iss desh ko coronavirus diya hai toh sunna padega,” (you have infected this country with coronavirus, you’ll have to listen).
NDTV 24×7 anchor Vishnu Som was in conversation with Hari Menon, CEO of Big Basket. Menon kept clarifying, “We are completely geared on supplies. Our warehouses are stocked. I don’t see a problem on that front at least for a couple of weeks.”
However, he admitted to a key issue, “The biggest problem right now is the availability of people”.
Rajdeep Sardesai, on India Today, was curious about cluster containment. Sardesai raised many questions, “Will cluster containment defang coronavirus? Can sealing hotspots help stop the spread of coronavirus? How will police enforce this lockdown? Is cluster containment even more important than social distancing?”
Dr S.K. Sarin, chief advisor to the Delhi government on Covid-19 replied that places with “every positive patient should be considered as a hotspot as opposed to 6 confirmed cases being identified as hotspots.”
Republic anchor Arnab Goswami had a very quiet and meaningful conversation for a change. His guest speaker was Sachin Pilot, Deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan.
Goswami asked, “Is it possible or practical to implement what you did in Ramganj in Jaipur?”
Pilot was pragmatic, “It would be wrong to say that one size fits all. The principle behind doing that can be implemented. I think if we wait too long we are paying a much higher price than low GDP and economic loss. Nothing is more important than the lives of our people.”
