Authorities in India are hesitant to declare a national lockdown despite COVID-19 cases rising, with hundreds of thousands of new cases per day.

Leading industry bodies have urged the government to curb economic activity to save lives.

The billionaire president of the Confederation of Indian Industry says a ‘maximal response measure at the highest level is called to cut the transmission links.’

The surge in cases has overwhelmed India’s healthcare system.

However, building healthcare infrastructure will take time: something the nation doesn’t have.  

The Indian government is concerned that a nationwide lockdown will have a devastating impact on the economy. Indian Health Officials say they’re concerned a lockdown will lead to job losses, particularly impact migrant labor.

India has also recorded over 3700 deaths in the past 24-hours.

US Infectious disease expert Dr Anthony Fauci recommended a lockdown for India.

“Lock down so that you wind up having less spread. No one likes to lock down the country. … But if you do it just for a few weeks, you could have a significant impact.”

U.S. infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci

“This virus has shown us that if left to its own devices, it will explode in society,” Fauci said in an interview with Indian Express newspaper. “If you don’t respect its ability to cause serious damage, you are going to get into trouble.”