India’s large diaspora is tapping its wealth, growing political clout and expertise to help India combat a catastrophic coronavirus surge.
Modi, who held consultations with top elected leaders and officials of the worst-hit states on Thursday, has so far left the responsibility for fighting the virus to poorly equipped state governments.
Dr. Randeep Guleria, a government health expert, said a complete, aggressive lockdown is needed in India just like last year, especially in areas where more than 10% of those tested have contracted COVID-19.
Rahul Gandhi, an opposition Congress party leader, in a letter to Modi on Friday reiterated his demand for a total lockdown, warning “the human cost will result in many more tragic consequences for our people.”
May 7, 2021 8:39 AM EDT
NEW DELHI Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi faced growing pressure Friday to impose a strict nationwide lockdown, despite the economic pain it will exact, as a startling surge in coronavirus cases that has pummeled the country’s health system shows no signs of abating.
Many medical experts, opposition leaders and even Supreme Court judges are calling for national restrictions, arguing that a patchwork of state rules is insufficient to quell the rise in infections.
Indian television stations broadcast images of patients lying on stretchers outside hospitals waiting to be admitted, with hospital beds and critical oxygen in short supply. People infected with COVID-19 in villages are being treated in makeshift outdoor clinics, with IV drips hanging from trees.
US Vice President Kamala Harris family in India grapples with COVID
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Send G Balachandran turned 80 this spring, a milestone of a birthday in India, where he lives. If not for the coronavirus pandemic, he would have been surrounded by family members who gathered to celebrate with him.
US Vice President Kamala Harris (File Photo)
Washington:
But with the virus ravaging his homeland, Balachandran had to settle for congratulatory phone calls, including one from his rather famous niece US Vice President Kamala Harris. Unfortunately, because of the COVID, I cannot have such an elaborate function, the retired academic said in a Zoom interview on Thursday from his home in New Delhi.Â
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