Experts differ on whether a lockdown will help the situation or not.
“I firmly believe that the situation will get worse,” Anoop Misra, president of Fortis-C-DOC Hospital which specializes in diabetes, metabolic diseases and endocrinology, told the Economic Times. “A seven-day partial closure (subway and bus services closure) can help,” he reportedly said.
However, Giridhar R Babu, a member of the Indian Council of Medical Research national task force on COVID-19, feels different. “The lockdown was meant to prepare well and slow down the transmission speed. There is no need to close now, as long as the objectives are not met in the previous phase, ”he told the Economic Times.
Meanwhile, talking to The fifthDr. Shahid Jameel, Virologist and Executive Director of the Welcome Trust, DBT India Alliance, said he feels that a specific location or cluster lockdown might be necessary, but not a citywide lockdown. He also reiterated the need for masks and adequate distancing, calling the breach of COVID-19 rules in the markets in the midst of the festivities “egregious”, noting that with the hospital beds already full, and that this should not have allowed.
“The message needs to be conveyed that this is a very serious public health emergency and that people should be very careful and only move if absolutely necessary,” said Dr. Jameel.
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