Coronavirus pandemic | India's response well-organised, but will have to prepare for surge after lockdown: WHO official

The World Health Organisation (WHO) director general's special envoy on coronavirus, David Nabarro, has said India will have to prepare for an increase in the number of cases once the lockdown is lifted.

In an interview to The Economic Times, the WHO official said while India has done well in containing the epidemic so far, whether the numbers will increase after the easing of restrictions will depend on the virus "not moving in new areas".

"If you prevent that from happening, then it is possible to suppress the outbreak. You need to promptly detect the new cases," Nabarro said.

He also said that he is "impressed" with the "totality of Indian response" to the outbreak.

"I can see through the data that it is a well-organised response, it is a tribute to not just those who are leading the response but also to the people involved as well as those who are doing contact tracing," Nabarro told the newspaper, adding that finding contacts of those who are infected is "the only way you can stay ahead of the virus".

Stating that the virus does not go away during a lockdown, the official said that imposing movement restrictions is important nevertheless because it gives the "authorities time to ramp up public health services on the ground".

"I believe the release (of the lockdown) in India may be gradual. There would be an outbreak as lockdown is lifted; governments will have to make a plan to contain them without suppressing economic activity," Nabarro said in the interview.

He added that the way local authorities in Mumbai's Dharavi have gone about in "thoughtful manner" to handle the situation has been of "great interest" to him.