Is the lock down an over-reaction? It's important to ask this question, but it's also important to ask it in an objective way, without making it an accusation about the actions of governments. One way of keeping that objectivity is to ask, is a lock down NOW an over-reaction?

The plain fact is, we have a weak public health system, and allowing it to be over-run by a fast-spreading virus would have been disastrous. The lock down was needed to convert a fast spreading thing into a slow spreading thing. Let's fix that, and then ask - what about now?

According to all the data we have as well as what the Ministry of Health tells us daily, the virus is now spreading slower than it was four weeks ago, and every state has improved its capacity to respond to its spread. So the original reason for a lock down doesn't apply anymore.

Which means we can ask AFRESH, does a lock down make sense anymore? One fear is that if we lift the lock down the number of cases may/will spike again and we may not be able to cope with that. But that fear can be expressed at any time, even in December.

At some point we have to take chance that we can lift the lock down and still be able to deal with the rate of infections. This is what we do with every other disease, that's why we don't shut down to deal with malaria or flu.

What will give us the nerve to take that chance? Three things - slower spread of the virus (already happening), some sign of a mitigation strategy during treatment (starting to happen with drugs and plasma), and the urgency to stop the economic harm.

We need more attention to the last part. Keep in mind, every day of the lock down we are increasing (in thousands each day, if not more) the number of people going into bondage, into forced prostitution, into child labour, into starvation and other desperate choices.

This choice requires courage to act despite some things being unknown. And it requires political maturity. Opposition parties in the states should support governments to take this step. Subjecting them to continuous needling and criticism makes them defensive, and does more harm.

Ruling parties also need maturity. This is not their choice alone. It requires collective action across the political spectrum. Take the opposition into confidence to make tougher decisions sooner. It means sharing credit, but more imp it will save millions of families from ruin.

It's also a mistake to make this a single decision by the Centre. It's much better to leave it to the states based on their own local conditions. A single national decision will lead us to the lowest common denominator of confidence, rather than letting the best performers lead.