'India has tremendous capacity': WHO expects India to lead the fight against Covid-19

Amid the growing number of Covid-19 cases in India, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has emphasized on finding the source of the virus to arrest from spreading it further in the country adding the countries like India could lead the world in fighting the deadly virus.

"We need to find all the cases first to find out where the virus is. When the outbreak becomes large, need to understand where the outbreak is and where the cases are surging. There is a need in the number of labs where a surge is seen. India is a very populous country and the future of this virus will be considered in a very highly & densely populated country. India led the world in eradicating two pandemics, small-pox and polio so India has tremendous capacity. There are no easy answers. It is exceptionally important that countries like India show the way to the world as they have done before," Michael J Ryan of WHO said.

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WHO Praises India

However, WHO lauded the Centre's decision to impose a lockdown in 75 affected districts of India besides suspending trains, buses and metros. WHO South-East Asia, India's response to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus was "comprehensive" and "robust". He opined that the lockdown and suspension of public transport services reflected India's resolve to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr.Ofrin noted that these measures could help slow down virus transmission. At the same time, he stressed that this needed to be complemented by effective steps to isolate, test, treat and trace.

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Coronavirus crisis in India

415 confirmed cases of the novel Coronavirus with 7 deaths have been reported in India. The Centre announced stringent measures to combat the novel Coronavirus crisis. For instance, international flights were barred to land in India from March 22 for a week. Moreover, the Centre has directed the state governments to advise the people below the age of 10 and above the age of 65 to remain at home. The state governments have also been instructed to enforce work from home for private-sector employees barring for those working in emergency or essential services.

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On March 22, Janta Curfew was observed where people did not come on the road from 7 am to 9 pm. Currently, a total lockdown has been announced in 19 states and union territories. On the other hand, 6 states and union territories have placed only some areas under lockdown. On Monday, it was declared that domestic flights would also not be operational from midnight of March 24 until March 31.

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