Was withdrawal of lockdown in Dharwad a wise decision?

Dharwad: The rapidly increasing number of Covid-19 positive cases in Dharwad district has been a cause for worry, especially because the twin cities of Hubballi-Dharwad have a major share of positive cases. People are wondering whether the withdrawal of the lockdown was a wise decision.
Considering the surge in positive cases and also recommendation from experts and various sections of society, the district administration had imposed another lockdown for 10 days from July 15.But the Tuesday’s announcement by chief minister B S Yediyurappa that there will be no lockdown anywhere in the state from Wednesday prompted the district administration to end the lockdown two days before the schedule, much against the wishes of experts and district minister Jagadish Shettar.
As on July 22, the total number of positive cases in the district was 2,327, with nearly 40% of them being from Hubballi city. The share of Dharwad city is 30% — the rest are from the rural parts of the district.
The medical fraternity, in coordination with the district administration, has been conducting tests and treating the positive cases, and has ensured that 813 people are cured and discharged. On Tuesday evening, the number of active cases stood at 1,544 in the district.
With 39 deaths, Hubballi tops the list in casualties. Till Tuesday evening, the district had witnessed a total of 73 deaths due to Covid-19.
However, the authorities in Hubballi are said to have failed in implementing the lockdown measures strictly and that is one of the reasons for the spike in the number of positive cases. Another reason is the failure on the part of the people, including political leaders and workers, in following the safety norms. When the lockdown restrictions were relaxed in a phased manner, people literally ignored the safety norms and allowed the infection to spread, said a senior physician.