Chief executive officers of companies in India are against more lockdowns and are instead working with the government to vaccinate their employees, according to a survey conducted by the Confederation of Indian Industry.
The industry body polled 710 CEOs and senior leaders. They were split across manufacturing and service sectors and 68% were from small firms.
Key Findings:
- Three of four respondents said night curfew or partial lockdown will hurt movement of their workers
- Of these, about half see production or sales falling 10%-50% a month due to such curbs
- 67% respondents indicate they are working with the government for mass vaccination of eligible workforce
- 57% are stocking excess raw materials and 31% are accommodating workers within the factory to avoid night curfews
- 79% respondents want all their workers to be vaccinated
- 93% respondents said stricter enforcement of safety rules would be better than a lockdown
India has seen a resurgence in coronavirus infections in recent weeks, reporting a daily record of more than 150,000 cases. Hospitals are on the brink of being overwhelmed and preventive vaccines and curative medicines are running out. The new wave has pushed Maharashtra — the most industrialized state that accounts for almost 15% of national output — to shut all non-essential businesses and order offices to work from home through April.
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