India fights COVID-19 well but challenge begins now

<p style="font-weight: 400;">As India enters a crucial phase in its fight against the coronavirus, all eyes are on the country. The next few weeks beginning the third week of March will test the second-most populous nation in its fight against COVID-19.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">India has managed to stave off the coronavirus infection exceedingly well since it was first reported from Wuhan in China on December 31 last year. By March 22 afternoon, India had a death toll of six with 341 people testing positive.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">Globally, the infection has crossed 300,000 with over 13,000 deaths and recovery of nearly 100,000 people.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">Surprisingly, European countries, with well-equipped health systems, have failed to stem infections as well as deaths. Italy, Spain, France, the UK, the Netherlands, and Belgium are witnessing deaths on a daily basis. Italy, Spain, and France have reported an exceptionally high toll. Iran has been severely affected and now the US too is catching up fast.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">India has been proactive right from the beginning. It was one of the initial countries to airlift hundreds of its citizens from Wuhan and keep them under quarantine. It also evacuated nationals of other countries from China and the cruise ship that was stuck in Japan.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">India was one of the few nations to have steadily introduced measures to reduce visas for foreigners, curb international flightsm and close borders.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">Hundreds of Indian students and pilgrims, who were stranded in Qom, a place of religious significance in Iran, were brought back home. For those who could not be brought back to India, the Indian Embassy set up a wellness facility in Qom, which has seen a severe outbreak. The Indian Embassy in Iran tweeted: “The Embassy in cooperation with health authorities in #Qom set up a wellness facility to take care of and undertake 24/7 supervision of infected Indian pilgrims.”</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited the eight South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) nations for a video conference to combat the virus regionally—a step welcomed by all neighbors. Keeping its word, India set up the Saarc fund, rushed medical aid, and testing equipment to kick-start a joint regional strategy to fight the virus. India has already sent medical supplies to many nations and kept standby teams for neighbors.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">On the home front, Modi addressed the people in a 29-minute television address, urging them not to panic but take measures to protect themselves and those around them. Henk Bekedam, the World Health Organization's (WHO), India representative, welcomed Modi's call for a 'janata curfew' and social distancing, among many other measures.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">Schools were shut and the government began advising people early to take precautions—washing hands, using sanitizers, making sanitizers at home, reducing contact with others, working from home, and stopping unnecessary travel. With the government advising in a transparent and open manner, Indians largely began following its directives. Markets are almost empty, beaches deserted and tourist spots vacant.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">However, there have been isolated cases of people refusing to get tested or self-isolate. A handful of travellers from European countries managed to give the slip to the authorities, and so was the case with a handful who came back from pilgrimage to the Middle East. However, such people were tracked, chased and persuaded to observe self-quarantine in public interest.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">The country has been efficient in keeping a lookout for foreign travellers, including Italian travellers, who tested positive. Quarantine facilities were set up with the support of paramilitary and security forces at many places.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">Beside the health authorities, the Ministry of External Affairs has been at the forefront helping out people with queries and updating advisories.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">It was only on March 11 that the WHO had declared the outbreak as a pandemic and reiterated the call for countries to take immediate actions. India had put action much before this.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">So far, India’s actions have shown results in keeping numbers low and preventing deaths. Disbelief about low figures, and hushed voices that India is hiding figures, does not seem valid because deaths have remained low. Even if we assume that the government is hiding data about infection, it may not be able to hide, or even fudge, figures related to deaths considering that the country is teeming with Indian and foreign media.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">So far so good. But the real challenge comes now as India begins to quarantine itself for the next few weeks.</p>.