In an important statement, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has said that the country, instead of waiting for Covid-19 to subside, has “to learn to live with coronavirus.” He also made a case for the quicker phasing out of the lockdown.

Talking to the Hindi news channel Aaj Tak, he said, “Corona is not going to end soon, not at least until there is a vaccine or an effective medicine against it. We have to learn to live with coronavirus. What we need is to control deaths in coronavirus cases.”

Talking about the fight against the deadly virus, he said, “As strategy, if we can ensure that no one dies of coronavirus, it will become like any other illness. Earlier, people died of dengue. But when we controlled the number of deaths due to dengue, it is no longer feared.”

The Delhi Chief Minister favored the easing of restrictions on businesses: “There will not be a situation when you don’t have a single patient of novel coronavirus now. This is going to be the case for a long time. One cannot force businesses or people into lockdown for that duration.”

We have to understand that coronavirus is here to stay, he said. Denouncing the attacks on healthcare workers and police personnel, “These doctors, nurses and police personnel are helping you. Suppose you fall ill or need help in an emergency situation, these are the people who would save your life. Are you not in your senses?”

Even as Kejriwal spoke against the strict lockdown restrictions, he praised the Narendra Modi government for “early and prompt action, and working in complete cooperation with state governments.” He also didn’t agree with the assertion that the nationwide coronavirus lockdown was hasty and improperly planned. “We get wise in retrospect," said the Delhi chief minister who showered praise on the Modi government”.