Ever since the first COVID-19 case was recorded in Wuhan, China, countries around the world dedicated their efforts to contain the virus. Various countries have taken initiatives and measures that have been adopted by the rest of the globe. India was one of the countries to act fast against the virus.
Let us take a quick look at the situation with Covid-19 in India and what measures it had decided to contain it.
The steps taken against Covid-19
- The thermal screening of passengers returning from China began on 21st January. It was first carried out at seven airports but soon was expanded to 20 airports. By February, the screening was applied to all passengers traveling from South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Nepal, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
- On 17th March, the Government issued the advisory of social distancing till 31st March as a preventive strategy.
- The Government suspended all e-visas issued to the nations of Germany, France, and Spain. Any trip to countries abroad is strictly being discouraged by the government.
- Keeping in mind the current scenario, the lockdown has since been extended till 3rd May.
- The government is adopting various advanced technologies to fight off the Covid-19 virus. It is mainly looking up to countries such as South Korea and Germany and their strategies to prevent the virus. The ‘track, test, and treat’ approach is being deployed.
- Projects such as a two-day hackathon are being held to help come up with new useful measurements against the virus.
- Social distancing is strictly being imposed with aid from the Government. Usage of drones, robots, and Covid-19 trackers in India are being used to limit physical contact.
- Led by the National Institute of Virology, 15 labs testing for the virus with more labs in training. As of 14th March, 65 of those labs have been declared capable of conducting the tests.
Highlights
- The first coronavirus case in India was recorded on 30th January 2020, which by 3rd February, had increased to three instances. All these cases were of students who had returned from Wuhan, China.
- As of current status, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has announced and confirmed a total of 18,985 cases of COVID-19 in India. There are 3,260 cases of recovery and 603 deaths.
- In about a dozen states and union territories, provisions from the Epidemic Diseases Act 1897 have been enacted after the outbreak was declared as an epidemic. Various institutes, including businesses and educational institutes, have been asked to shut down. It is the 27th day since the lockdown was enacted.
- Among all the states, Delhi and Maharashtra were most heavily affected by the virus, with around 2,003 and 4,200 cases, respectively.
With the population of India, it is proving challenging to start testing on a mass level. It is even believed that the testings may not be carried out adequately enough. However, compared to other countries, India was still able to tackle the situation better with the immediate lockdown measure. With various organizations dedicated to finding a vaccine for the virus, India is trying its level best to struggle up against the threat of Covid-19.