61% upset, angry over govt’s handling of Covid-19 second wave: Survey

NEW DELHI: More than half of the people are upset, angry and depressed or worried about the way the second wave of Covid-19 is handled by the government while opinion is split on whether the country is on the right track in controlling the pandemic, a survey has claimed.

At the same time, a majority of the people are not sure whether experts in the country have a handle on what is causing the massive second wave.

The survey by LocalCircles claimed that 61 per cent of those surveyed are “feeling angry, upset, depressed or worried as the Covid-19 second wave wreaks havoc in the country”.

“The second wave has been terrifying and a once-in-a-century health crisis that India has experienced,” it said.

Breaking down the numbers, the survey claimed 23 per cent said they were “anxious or worried”, 8 per cent were “depressed, gloomy or sad”, 20 per cent “upset and angry”, 10 per cent “extremely angry”, and 7 per cent said “calm or peaceful”. Another 28 per cent, however, felt “optimistic and hopeful”.

With lockdown-like restrictions being imposed in many states, the survey claimed, people have started to also fear for their livelihoods.

When asked about whether they believe India is on the right track in handling the second wave, the respondents were split.

“Wrong priorities, indecisiveness and lack of preparedness are key reasons why 45 per cent believe that India is not on the right track. The 41 per cent on the other hand who believe that India is on the right track state that all of this took India by big surprise and India is now enabling more hospital beds, oxygen supplies and healthcare staff, local lockdowns which should help in recovering from the crisis,” it added.

Some of the respondents raised the “key issue” of central and state governments “not building capacities” despite seeing so many countries around the world experiencing massive second waves. Many have also “criticised” India’s decision of restarting flights from the United Kingdom on January 8 after a two-week suspension despite the country having 60,000 daily cases.

“Hundreds of citizens also raised objections to the Kumbh Mela celebrations. People have highlighted how many returnees from the Mela coming back to their state have tested positive for Covid-19. Madhya Pradesh just reported that 99 per cent of those who came back from Kumbh tested positive,” the survey claimed.

The survey also claimed 51 per cent citizens were unsure if experts in India have a handle on what is causing the massive second wave in Covid-19 cases.