22 March 2025 : Indian Express Editorial Analysis

1. Five Covid lessons

(Source – Indian Express, Section – The Ideas Page – Page No. – 11)

Reflections on Five Years Since the Covid-19 Pandemic

• As March 2025 marks five years since the world came to a standstill due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it is crucial to reflect on the lessons learned.
• On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Covid-19 a pandemic, and by March 24, India imposed one of the strictest lockdowns globally.
• While the world has moved on, the memories of overwhelmed hospitals, economic devastation, and loss of lives remain stark reminders of our vulnerabilities.
• The key question now is whether we have learned enough to prepare for the next crisis—be it a pandemic, a natural disaster, or an economic shock.

The Need for Global Cooperation

• One of the most significant lessons from the pandemic is that many crises are inherently global.
• Closing borders does not prevent the spread of diseases like Covid-19 or HIV/AIDS, just as an earthquake in Indonesia can trigger a tsunami in Sri Lanka.
• This underscores the need for strong global institutions to monitor threats and develop coordinated responses.
• However, instead of strengthening these systems, political disruptions have weakened them.
• For instance, the U.S. withdrew from the WHO during the pandemic and scaled back global surveillance programs like the USAID-funded Famine Early Warning System Network.
• Despite this, there are encouraging developments, such as increased global biomedical collaboration.
• India’s genomic dataset initiative is a promising step toward fostering international partnerships in health research.

Local Solutions for Local Problems

• While global collaboration is essential, solutions must be tailored to local realities.
• During the pandemic, vaccine nationalism highlighted how countries prioritized their own populations over global needs.
• India’s ability to produce vaccines locally gave it an advantage, while other nations struggled with access.
• Similarly, public health measures like social distancing worked in some regions but were nearly impossible in densely populated areas like Dharavi in Mumbai.
• Studies by experts found that by mid-2020, about 50% of slum residents had already developed antibodies, compared to just 15% of those in non-slum areas.
• This suggests that public health interventions should be adapted to specific conditions, such as prioritizing mask distribution and medical resources in high-prevalence zones.

Building Disaster Preparedness Systems

• Effective disaster response starts with planning and preparedness.
• India’s public distribution system played a crucial role in preventing mass starvation by ensuring food supplies during the lockdown.
• However, emergency cash transfers relied on pre-existing government databases, like Jan Dhan accounts and PM-KISAN registries, leaving out many informal workers who lacked such records.
• Furthermore, the lockdown, while useful in slowing the spread of Covid-19, did not translate into adequate health system preparation.
• Oxygen shortages during the second wave could have been mitigated with better inventory management and a centralized database for medical resources.
• Future preparedness must involve robust disaster management planning at local, state, and national levels.

The Role of Data in Governance

• The pandemic revealed the critical role of accurate data in crisis management.
• When migrant workers left cities en masse, India lacked precise numbers on how many workers resided in urban centers or where they were heading.
• The absence of recent census data worsened the situation. Globally, governments often reacted to inconvenient data by discrediting or suppressing it.
• In some cases, the U.S. government even shut down projects studying vaccine hesitancy.
• A data-driven governance approach is essential for effective decision-making.
• Information should be seen as a tool for better policy making rather than a political liability.

Trust in Government During Crises

• Public trust in the government is crucial for implementing emergency measures effectively.
• Policymakers must often make decisions in the face of uncertainty, and without public confidence, enforcement becomes difficult.
• Surveys conducted by the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) in Delhi-NCR found that 85% of respondents supported the lockdown simply because the government deemed it necessary.
• The India Human Development Survey (2022-24) further revealed that nearly 80% of respondents nationwide believed the lockdown was a good decision.
• However, trust is fragile. Governments must ensure transparency, fairness, and inclusivity in decision-making to maintain public confidence in future crises.

Conclusion

• Five years after the pandemic began, the world has an opportunity to apply the hard-earned lessons of Covid-19.
• Strengthening global cooperation, tailoring solutions to local contexts, investing in preparedness, embracing data-driven governance, and fostering public trust are all critical for facing future disasters.
• The next crisis may not be another pandemic—it could be an economic collapse, a climate disaster, or a geopolitical conflict.
• What remains constant is the need for vigilance, planning, and unity in response.

Check this out 21 March 2025 : Indian Express Editorial Analysis