The impact of the lockdown could be gauged only after two weeks, government as well as independent experts suggest.
On the evening of March 24, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a nationwide 21-day lockdown to arrest “community transmission” of the coronavirus. Between March 24 and April 1, the number of COVID-19 positive cases has more than doubled — from 606 on March 25 to 1,637 on April 1. This, however, was slower — about half the rate of growth from the week before when only 151 cases were confirmed on March 18.
Coronavirus | Interactive map of confirmed coronavirus cases in India
The growth in positive cases in India is slower than many countries that are dealing with the worst of the pandemic. On March 8, the United States recorded 541 cases in two days, and the figure nearly doubled to 994 cases. In the last week, however, it has increased 75%.
Indonesia, which as on March 31 had 1,528 cases — and therefore roughly in the league of India — is also following a similar growth rate. It had 686 cases on March 24 or a little less than half the cases from today. Though it has laws restricting movement, there is no lockdown.
Government