The government is contemplating a second lockdown across the nation after May 15 after the current one ends on April 14. This was one of the points discussed at a crucial 16-member Group of Ministers (GoM) meeting in April 3 chaired by Union defence minister Rajnath Singh and including Union home minister Amit Shah.
A second lockdown is planned to break the chain of infections–the government believes it has only around 40 per cent of the critical care equipment needed to meet the pandemic. It hopes to delay the onset of the disease until the healthcare infrastructure can handle the surge in cases.
India reported its largest single-day rise in the number of Covid-19 cases–505–on April 5, taking the total number to 3,577, with 83 deaths.
