The initial total lockdown, therefore, should be seen as a hedge against the worst possible outcomes. This initial lockdown also gave the space to arrange a large-scale medical response in terms of equipment, quarantine and testing capacity.
As time has passed, the central government then unlocked the economy step-by-step as information as well as medical capacity both improved.
The same barbell strategy was used in the economic response. The Indian economic response during the lockdown phase was oriented more towards providing a cushion to the most vulnerable segments of society and of the business sector (such as MSMEs).
