Amidst the Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic, the mainstream media appears hellbent on fueling panic among the people of the country. The SARS-CoV-2 has already given people plenty to worry about but people associated with the media appear to be working to fuel paranoia among the population. Vineet Jain, MD of Times of India group and a ‘non-conformist’, appears to be unwilling to conform to the conventional norms of common sense. He claims that there is a threat to the food supply and of vigilantism during the curfew.
Vineet Jain said on Twitter, “Big concerns of curfew-1) the food chain& it’s transport may get broken. Price of food will sky rocket & how to ensure that food supply does not run short bcoz people will stock up & the ones who don’t stock up should have access to it 2) unnecessary violence by police/vigilantes”. The MD of TOI group appears to be referring to the lockdown in the country to combat the Wuhan Coronavirus crisis. But his concerns are misguided and do not have a grain of truth in them.
The government has declared that essential services will continue to operate during the lockdown. This includes services such as healthcare, Police, electricity, fire etc. Moreover, only interstate passenger transport services and metro services have been suspended. Goods trains will continue to operate across the country. Therefore, the food supply will not be affected. Moreover, people have been directed to not engage in hoarding and they are expected to heed the Prime Minister’s call.
So far, there has been no addition to suggest any form of vigilantism has taken place, let alone an upsurge in such vigiilantism. In addition to that, the Police will continue to work and hence, they will maintain law and order even if there is an upsurge of vigilantism. Thus, quite clearly, Vineet Jain is engaging in fueling panic among the citizens of the country as the food supply will most definitely not be impacted. Normal life will be as the country is dealing with an unprecedented crisis. However, if people necessary caution and follow proper guidelines, then the country will not suffer undue crisis amidst the lockdown.