Allowing commercial sex work to commence immediately after lockdown in India’s red light areas could lead to a rapid rise in cases that could quickly overwhelm hospitals, says a modelling study from researchers at the Yale School of Medicine and Harvard Medical School. Though these findings have been “shared” with State governments, the findings are still being peer-reviewed.
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As per the study, if red light areas are kept closed following the lifting of lockdown, there can be a delay in the peak of COVID-19 cases by up to 12 days in Mumbai, 17 days in New Delhi, 29 days in Pune, 30 days in Nagpur, and 36 days in Kolkata. For the purposes of the study, the lockdown period was considered from March 24-May 3. While relaxations have been made in several zones, lockdown continues to be in effect in India.
Maharashtra, West Bengal and Delhi