As second COVID-19 wave wreaks havoc, is nationwide lockdown needed in India?

With India's daily COVID-19 cases rising at alarming rates, concerns have been raised over the cultural, political, and religious events across the country. On Wednesday, India recorded its highest ever single-day spike in tally with over 1.84 lakh new cases. 

Speaking on the rise, chairman of the COVID-19 working group of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) Dr NK Arora has emphasised the need to impose lockdown as per the local situation.

Speaking to news agency ANI, Dr Arora, however, said he did not favour a nationwide lockdown. "We have the experience of the lockdown last year. We learned how to contain the disease. And, we have also learned how to re-energise our economy after the lockdown. When the numbers of cases are touching nearing two lakhs per day we must bank upon experience from the past. Reducing the transmission between people can be achieved through minimising the contact. We need to have lockdown in the selective region like part of a district," explained Dr Arora. 

He said that political rallies, religious gathering and Kisan Andolan are super-spreaders of the disease. Dr Arora's remarks come against the backdrop of the ongoing West Bengal assembly elections, Kumbh Mela in Haridwar and farmers agitation at the borders of the national capital. 

Without naming Kumbh Mela, Dr Arora categorically stated that any form of gathering micro or mega acts as a super spreader of COVID-19.

"What we can see is that youngsters are more careless. They believe in small gathering and organising parties. Also, we have seen social and religious gatherings, Kisan Andolan and political rallies. These all are super-spreaders of COVID. Unless these are stopped, no one can help us. We need to be very critical about all these and finally, I would say that these have to be done with all the support of political and implementing authority." 

He stated the example of Maharashtra which has already imposed a partial lockdown for 15 days as the cases are increasing.

Meanwhile, India reported 1,84,372 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours. With this, the total number of cases has gone up to 1,38,73,825. In the last 24 hours, 1,027 COVID-related deaths were reported in the country taking the death toll to 1,72,085.

(With ANI inputs)