After Fauci's Advice, Now National COVID Task Force Pushes For Nationwide Lockdown As Cases Surge
Some members of the national task force on coronavirus pandemic have reportedly recommended a national lockdown to break the chain of transmission. A record 3689 daily COVID-19 fatalities pushed Indias death toll to 215542 while the infection count reached to 19557457 with 392488 more people being confirmed positive for the disease.
Amid a massive second COVID wave, and a crumbling healthcare system, several members of the national task force on coronavirus pandemic have reportedly recommended a national lockdown to break the chain of transmission of the virus.
According to a report by The Indian Express, some members of the COVID-19 task force, a technical expert body that advises the Central Government, are ¡°pushing hard¡± for a national lockdown.
With the burgeoning COVID caseload and the country reporting more deaths than ever, the task force members are rooting for a national lockdown lasting two weeks.
AFP
A record 3,689 daily COVID-19 fatalities pushed India's death toll to 2,15,542, while the infection count reached to 1,95,57,457 with 3,92,488 more people being confirmed positive for the disease, according to the Union health ministry data updated on Sunday.
The task force includes experts from AIIMS and ICMR, and has met many times during the recent surge.
Fauci recommended lockdown in current situation
US pandemic advisor Anthony Fauci earlier advised that India go into lockdown for several weeks to arrest the current devastating surge.
"I think the most important thing in the immediate is to get oxygen, get supplies, get medication, get PPE, those kinds of things," the Indian Express quoted Fauci as saying in an interview.
AFP
"But also, one of the immediate things to do is to essentially call a shutdown of the country," he said.
"And if you shut down, you don't have to shut down for six months. You can shut down temporarily to put an end to the cycle of transmission," he added.
PM said lockdown should be last resort
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has resisted imposing a national lockdown after a nationwide shutdown a year ago caused widespread human suffering and a painful economic hit.
Delhi, one of the worst-hit by COVID, has extended the lockdown by another week. Many other states have imposed weekend curfews and lockdowns to contain the transmission, but so far it's proving to be ineffective.