The Centre and state governments should consider imposing a lockdown to curb the virus said the Supreme Court on Sunday, hours after Top US epidemiologist Dr. Anthony Fauci, among other medical experts has advised for a complete "shut down" of India in backdrop of the second wave of Covid-19 that has taken the country by storm leading to a huge humanitarian crisis across the country.
They also emphasized the need for the Government to immediately procure medical supplies, PPE kits, and oxygen to alleviate the problem of those already suffering from the virus in need of resources.
A more immediate way to temporarily put an end to the cycle of transmission would be to lock down the country for a few weeks while arranging for adequate medical supplies and assistance for those infected.
Apart from the potential lockdown strategy, concerns over the ongoing vaccination drive have also been expressed by experts. Dr. Fauci, mentioned this, saying “To have a country like India, where only around 2% of people are vaccinated, is a very serious situation”.
He recommended getting contractual arrangements with multiple companies to get vaccines as quickly as possible, while revving up its own capabilities to make vaccines, given how India the largest manufacturer of vaccines in the world.
The Government had earlier ruled out the possibility of an entire lockdown and planned to focus on smaller containment zones, but experts have said that the current restrictions imposed have not been very effective.
The lockdown strategy has been the most widely adopted and effective way to curb the spread of the virus and has worked in favor of many countries. The UK, after suffering from a deadly 2nd wave of the pandemic has reportedly reached the bottom of the fatal disease levels
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