Updated: Share Article AAA Health workers wearing protective gear ( PPE kit ) dump waste collected from COVID-19 wards into a temporary shed at the Railway hospital, ICF in Chennai on April 15, 2021. | Photo Credit: B. Jothi Ramalingam Noting that the rapid surge in COVID-19 cases could cause a huge burden on the healthcare workers, the Federation of Government Doctors Association (FOGDA) has suggested an intense lockdown for 14 days starting from April 18 to slow down transmission and give a breathing space for preparedness. In a representation to the Health Secretary, FOGDA has put forward suggestions to tackle the present crisis as the daily COVID-19 cases were steeply increasing in the State. Such a sudden surge could make it difficult for the health infrastructure, and causes a huge burden on healthcare workers who are required to be deployed to treat patients with COVID-19 as well as take effective preventive measures. Workforce has to be deployed for the vaccination drive too, it noted.