Experts stand divided as govt hints at extending Covid-19 lockdown

While some states and public health experts want it extended to April 30 at least, others want parts of the economy opened up, and Centre and states come up with a detailed plan on phased lifting

In a week’s time, the 21-day lockdown which came into effect on March 24-25 midnight comes to a close. Meanwhile the number of Covid-19 cases in India continues to rise. As of Wednesday morning, official data showed that India has 5,194 cases with 149 deaths. The government now admits that India is between stage-II and stage-III of the pandemic, with limited community spreading.

It is in this context that the central government has to decide whether or not to extend the nationwide lockdown beyond next week. A number of states and public health experts have asked for the lockdown to continue