Coronavirus | Most of India should remain locked down for 6-8 weeks: ICMR chief
The HinduThe head of the main Indian health agency responding to the coronavirus has said districts reporting a high number of infections should remain locked down for another six to eight weeks to control the spread of the rampaging disease. That won’t happen in six-eight weeks, clearly,” Dr. Bhargava said in an interview at the New Delhi headquarters of the ICMR, the country’s top medical research body. Referring to the capital, one of India’s hardest hit cities, where the positivity rate reached around 35% but has now fallen to about 17%, Dr. Bhargava said: “If Delhi is opened tomorrow, it will be a disaster.” India is in deep crisis in the current wave of COVID-19 infections with around 350,000 cases and 4,000 deaths being reported daily. Yet, in a televised speech on April 20, Mr. Modi dissuaded States and said a lockdown should be used as the “last resort” and the focus should remain on “micro containment zones”. On April 26 — more than 10 days after the task force meeting — India’s Home Ministry wrote to States, asking them to implement strict measures for “large containment areas” in hard-hit districts, but only for 14 days.