(K Sujatha Rao is former Union Health Secretary, Government of India. The column first appeared in the print edition of The Indian Express on August 7, 2021)
- The efficacy of total lockdowns as a public health measure is yet to be proven. But we seem to have allowed our imagination and thinking to get trapped into that logic, regardless of the social and economic costs to society. Countries that imposed lockdowns, including China, have seen a re-emergence of infections while Sweden that did not impose a lockdown has close to zero deaths today. However, it’s apparent that localised restrictions on movements in high positivity areas for a limited period make sense…
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