Lockdown not enough to contain coronavirus in India: Raghuram Rajan

Former Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan has said that the lockdown is not enough to contain coronavirus in the country.

"This is a serious concern because not only does the lockdown keep people from going to work, it keeps them at home which is not necessarily that pristine isolated place but can also be a slum where people live together," Rajan in an interview with Bloomberg said. "It may be hard to prevent infections from spreading."

He added that the lockdown will be substantially harder for the poorer sections of society.

The lockdown order has brought almost all commercial activities in India to a halt.

Rajan said that the infrastructure in this country is a hindrance to the government's fight against the coronavirus, adding that all resources must be focused on tackling the pandemic.

He also said that under lockdown, the magnitude of the problems will become more difficult for India.

He asked rich countries to help under-developed countries and mobilise resources to them to contain the virus. "Think of the poor countries that already start with a paucity of ventilators and are dealing with the same crisis," Rajan said.

But he also cautioned that each country must first make sure they themselves are well equipped before helping others.

Rajan said that the disease must be eradicated from all parts of the world or else it might come back. He added there's a possibility of a second or third wave of the virus and all eyes should be on China for progress.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an announcement on Tuesday had declared a 21-day nationwide lockdown to ensure social distancing to contain the novel virus.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharamn today announced several measures to lighten the economic impact of the lockdown on citizens. She announced a Rs 1.7 lakh crore relief package for the poor.

Earlier too, she had taken some steps like easing tax deadlines and business regulations.

Modi had pledged Rs 15,000 crore to ramp up healthcare facilities in the country to fight against coronavirus.

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