Open in phases
We should be cautious about opening up several sectors at one go in the first week of May (“Most sectors will be open by May 3, says Sanjeev Sanyal”, April 23). Every day we have about 1,000 new positive COVID-19 cases in the country. Mumbai, the beehive of economic activity, is a big hotspot, as are some other cities. We should be guarded in opening up the remaining sectors of the economy and do this over phases. Every industry, big or small, should be allowed to function only at a third of its capacity, probably in shifts. Wearing masks and practising physical distancing should be made mandatory.
Kosaraju Chandramouli,
Hyderabad
Important, albeit late
The Prime Minister’s call for unity is important, but it has come rather late (“Script of unity”, April 23). A particular community has received a lot of hatred online for “spreading” the virus. Some TV channels continue to portray members of that community as more dangerous than the virus itself. The ruling party’s IT wing and cadres are relentless in their attacks on them. This hatred towards members of one community will affect Indians working abroad, especially in countries like the UAE. As the editorial points out, the call for unity should translate into action.
G.B. Sivanadam,
Coimbatore
The new normal
It looks like the situation won’t be safe for a long time (“There may be no going back”, April 23). It is important to understand that we were not asked to practise physical distancing or stay at home to cure society of COVID-19; these measures were taken to only slow the spread of the virus so that our healthcare system wouldn’t be overwhelmed. For the most part, India has done that. But when we emerge slowly from the lockdown, the virus could spread faster. We need to make our healthcare system more robust to handle the load, not mislead ourselves over the outcome of this lockdown period.
Nagarajamani M.V.,
Hyderabad
While we have to accept that things will take a long time to return to some semblance of normalcy, there is a silver lining. The air quality in many places has improved. With fewer people going to work over the next few weeks or months, traffic will greatly reduce. Other infectious diseases might also reduce due to greater awareness about personal hygiene. This pandemic will teach us to be kinder, more resilient and patient. We should take this opportunity to think about how we can redesign our lifestyle to have a more peaceful co-existence with nature.
P. Venkat,
Chennai
Offers post-retirement
Not only must justice be done; it must also be seen to be done (“Pre-retirement judgments and post-retirement jobs”, April 23). Hence, irrespective of the judgments made, it should be made a practice for the serving judges not to accept any government assignments post-retirement. Also, judges should not accept any assignments with any political party whose case they handled at any point. However, I do not subscribe to the view that judges must get as pension their last drawn salary. Judges need not be pampered post-retirement and can save for the future. Being legal professionals, they can earn additional money, if needed. I also think that other constitutional functionaries like Governors, Speakers, Election Commissioners and CAGs should also not accept political and government posts after retirement.
B.C. Unnikrishnan Nair,
Kuthiathode
