Thums up for more lockdown

People hope that cops won’t become more strict after extended relaxation

The decision to extend lockdown for 10 more days in the state has received a positive response from the public. Majority of citizens in the city that has been battling the virus surge over the past one month are satisfied with the government move, apparently apprehensive of a possible third wave of Covid-19.

The extension of relaxation hours from 6 am to 1 pm each day from the earlier 6 am to 10 am, they say is a big respite. “The government in its revival plan should give more importance on how to operate essential services and also make guidelines that benefit primarily daily wage workers,”

Uday Banu , an IT professional working for a private company in Hyderabad, said.

Several people that this correspondent spoke to also raised concerns over the police brutality that made headlines in the past few weeks, saying that extended relaxation period should not lead to more police brutality in the name of a lockdown.

Meanwhile, students planning to go abroad for higher education are happy with the government's decision to prioritise their vaccination. The Telangana state Cabinet on Sunday said it would prioritise students for vaccination with study abroad plans. Vedant, a student who had to delay admission to West London University in 2020 said this decision had given him hope that he would not have to keep his education on the backburner this year.

However, several other students and parents said they would still wait for the government's guidelines, and how they planned to distribute the vaccines, considering the acute shortage across the country.