The government has been forced to impose the strictest lockdowns in the country as a result of the alarming rise in Covid-19 cases and deaths in the country. While lockdowns bring their share of issues, at this point, given the current predicament, experts also agree that the government took the only rational decision it could take, and that there was no alternative to a hard lockdown.
However, the hard lockdown never meant that people would need to go hungry, and unfortunately, this is precisely what is happening -- predominantly amongst workers who relied on the informal economy, along with those most vulnerable in society.
What is even more egregious however, is that this is not simply a case of a lack of support from the government, who have certainly made the effort to provide food and cash assistance to those in need. Rather, there is a blatant lack of information dissemination on the part of the authorities concerned, who have failed to inform the masses on how to reap the assistance that the government is providing.
Every day, people are suffering because of this pandemic, losing their means of livelihood, not to mention loved ones who succumb to the virus. At such a difficult time, the fact that people are being forced to breach lockdown rules and aimlessly wander the streets in search of work to feed themselves is simultaneously heartbreaking and dangerous, and must be addressed immediately.
The government has recognized that people require help, but it is also their job to ensure that this help reaches these people. More and better awareness campaigns are needed, because at this point, we are failing as a nation if we are failing to feed those in need.
