We just have to live with it. There is no other option. The Prime Minister’s second broadcast on coronavirus in as many weeks on Tuesday evening was a clarion call to 130 crore Indians to fight this devilish microbe together as one people, as one united nation. We are all in it together. Modi minced no words, painting a realistic but nonetheless scary picture should we ignore his call for a 21-day complete lock-down and go about our businesses as usual. No. This is not acceptable. This will pose a threat not only to you but fellow Indians as well.

So, regardless of the hardships entailed in staying at home, we have no other option but to remain within the four walls of our homes. That is the minimum we can do to help overcome this existentialist threat. A report by a group of international scientists has painted a frightening picture should we fail to slow down the community transmission.

A staggering one lakh to 13 lakh people could be infected by mid-May at the current rate, it said. The computer model reckons that the number of tests conducted by India per one lakh of population is very small, and this is a most worrying aspect of the current situation. Given that we have the lowest hospital bed ratio per one lakh of people, our health system would be overwhelmed if the transmission is not stopped in time.

As for the belief that India’s high summer temperatures could neutralise the virus, scientists are divided, some citing lack of evidence. Meanwhile, since essential services must remain operative, it is hoped that the authorities will immediately manage to provide security/ID passes to various delivery services of popular e-tailers, including those selling daily essentials such as vegetables, pulses, sugar, and other provisions.

Neighbourhood provision stores are pressured for want of regular employees who need public transport to report for work, but due to its suspension are obliged to stay at home. Some of these inconveniences are unavoidable but others can be mitigated by helpful local authorities in order to make life under lockdown less unbearable. A bigger concern is the plight of the daily wage employees.

Private and public agencies, philanthropic organisations and public-spirited citizens must rise to the occasion, ensuring that none of them sleeps on an empty stomach. After corona has been beaten with the united effort of 1.3 billion Indians, policy-makers will have to reckon with another huge problem. By a conservative estimate, there could be a loss of four per cent of gross domestic product due to the corona disruption and lockdown. Manufacturing has come to a halt. Small and big factories are now shut down. Export units too are under lockdown. Share markets are open but their operations only magnify the gathering mood of doom and gloom.

Under the circumstances, Nirmala Sitharaman has no choice but to open the purse strings. We know we are not the US where they have announced $ 2-trillion package for the corona-related reliefs. But we need her to put all the tax reliefs, GST concessions, waive-offs, etc, together in a package. Be bold, think out-of-the-box and provide tax breaks for the key drivers of the economy such as auto, real estate, telcos, even service sector behemoths. Former Finance Minister P Chidambaram, against the grain, has offered some workable suggestions. She should have a good look at them. Even if the growth rate in the current year and next were to fall drastically, stabilising the economy, putting it back on an even keel must remain her top priority.

Everyone from the big corporates to those in the micro, small and medium sector are waiting for her to come to their rescue. Disinvestment target for this year is as good as gone. Yet, the process can be kick-started with a fresh zeal and energy to mop up huge funds. Nobody will grudge if the government fast-tracked generally snail-paced processes. Government stake in blue-chip companies as also in public sector behemoths, especially those which are virtual white elephants, needs to be disposed of at the best price that can be had under the circumstances. Extraordinary situations call for extraordinary solutions. We cannot let down the economy due to our swadeshi/voodoo economics hang-ups or other 20th century shibboleths. Let us get on with the job of defeating this once-in-a-century menace by resorting to whatever it takes. Does Ms Sitharaman have the requisite will, imagination and determination to do the needful.