[Marxistindia] On Media Reports on ICMR

[news from the cpi(m)]

April 26, 2020

Press Statement

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued  
the following statement:

The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) expresses its deep concern over the media
reports which refer to growing unease of our scientific community  
including members of the high-powered task force under ICMR.

The report of the internal discussion along with the actual minutes of  
such discussions brought out in public domain, clearly point out that  
the lockdown will not halt, but at best temporarily suppress the  
spread of the virus. Unless effective steps are taken, we cannot  
tackle the pandemic. Proper protection for frontline health workers is  
another urgent necessity.

Scientists reportedly recognise the danger of heightened transmission  
in absence of proper facilities for physical distancing in crowded  
busy neighbourhoods with common toilets. Ensuring adequate food  
rations can only remove the need to go out of congested localities,  
which is necessary to contain the spread of the virus. Unless  
time-tested practices of testing, tracking the infected and their  
contacts, proper quarantine, isolation and treatment for fighting the  
pandemic are undertaken, unplanned lockdown can at best secure the  
protection for the wealthy and influential, but would do little to  
protect the poor.


The Polit Bureau calls upon the central government to urgently  
initiate action on these recommendations to protect the lives of the   
citizens from the ravages of the pathogen and address the livelihood
imperatives particularly to prevent hunger and malnutrition deaths.



For CPI(M) Central Committee Office