Need to gradually lift lockdown, have unconventional exit strategy: Dr Devi Shetty

NOIDA: Talking about the next steps after the lockdown in India, experts at Bennett University‘s global online conference on Covid-19: Fallout & Future on Thursday agreed that social distancing needs to continue in various forms even after the lockdown to control the spread of the virus.

Narayana Hospitals chairman Dr Devi Shetty expressed concern about the economic impact of the lockdown due to coronavirus and said there is a need to gradually lift the restrictions.

Shetty proposed that after the lockdown, the hotspots can remain sealed while the other areas should be gradually opened up in order to look at reviving the economy.

“We can say that we have reduced the mortality rate by 50% in India because of the early lockdown, which did not happen in many other countries. Going forward, we need to gradually lift the lockdown and have an unconventional exit strategy. There seems no medical reason to continue with the lockdown except in the hotspots. We proposed in Karnataka that public transport should start, but at 50% of the capacity and shops should be open from early morning to late hours so that people don’t crowd together,” said Dr Shetty.

According to Dr Randeep Guleria, Director, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, the next few weeks will remain challenging, though the rise in cases may not be sharp due to the timely lockdown. However, he added that more data is needed over the next few days to decide whether the lockdown should continue or