The entire World is locked in a battle against novel Coronavirus that has infected over seven-million people and claimed as many as 402,699 deaths across the globe. Big economies including America, United Kingdom, Germany and Brazil are racing towards the worst-hit nations with the daily surge in corona-infected cases. However, some countries like New Zealand, Fiji and Seychelles have been successful in eliminating the contagious Coronavirus from the country. ALSO READ | Besides New Zealand, Check Out List Of Countries That Effectively Eliminated Covid-19 Outbreak
On one side where New Zealand heaves a sigh of relief, India, on the other hand, is reeling under the continuous surge of coronavirus case. The contrasting outcomes of the pandemic in countries despite similar lockdown measures are worth inviting a debate.
New Zealand, a South Pacific nation with a population of almost 5 million, registered nearly 1,500 Coronavirus cases and just 22 fatalities due to the Covid-19. The country had swung into extreme action in early February itself when it had recorded just 200 cases.
New Zealand, under the Prime Ministership of Jacinda Ardern, had enforced a strict lockdown across country which continued for about 75 days. The country had initially banned the entry of people coming from China on February 3 and by March 15, it closed its national borders for everyone.
Similarly, India had suspended flight operations from China on January 31 a day after its first case was reported in Kerala, and closed its borders for travellers on March 25, which was the first day of nationwide lockdown.
Both the countries launched a rescue mission to evacuate stranded citizens and kept them in institutional quarantine - under military facilities -- in the early weeks of counter-Covid response.
However, when coming to the strict laws and restrictions under the lockdown period, India unlike New Zealand, witnessed gross violations. There were carelessness at the hands of individuals as well as the authorities.
When New Zealand enforced absolute lockdown, only essential services such as grocery stores, pharmacies, hospitals and gas stations were allowed to remain open. Vehicular movement was strictly restricted. Social interactions were confined to households.
India too had similar restrictions to some extent yet the definition of essential services here had a wider range. For instance, reputed banks continued to function which prompted people to visit them regularly. Vegetable markets failed to properly execute the norms of social distancing. Many individuals gave priority to leisure or religious activities, in turn, violating the lockdown norms.
On one hand, where New Zealand continued with the strictest lockdown for a full month, India had eased several restrictions within three weeks. As per the official updates, after a month of complete shut, New Zealand had 1,472 cases while India’s cases raced to 31,300. Not just the number of infected cases, but New Zealand also managed to keep death count at 19 while India's fatality rate was rising, pushing the tally to 940 by then.
Another factor that hampered the win against Coronavirus is its mass population. While New Zealand comprises of 4.8 million people, India accommodates over 130 crore people. The dense population of the Asian nation is literally in no comparison to that of New Zealand. Due to less population, New Zealand achieved one of the highest testing rates per million population in the world while India, on the other hand, fell short on providing enough beds and quarantine units to patients and testing kits to healthcare staff. Neither could India cater to the requirements of all nor could it monitor the functioning properly.