How India is fighting against COVID-19 Pandemic

How India is fighting against COVID-19 Pandemic

Preparedness of India
The first case of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic in India was reported on 30 January 2020, originating from China. India’s fight against the Covid-19 outbreak has been unique. Restrictions have been imposed much earlier than in many countries, including China, which failed to contain the spread of the virus.
As the nation of 1.3 billion people shut down, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said India's COVID fight could make or break the global war. WHO said India has a tremendous capacity to deal with the pandemic as it has experience of eradicating smallpox and polio.

"India is at a crucial juncture in its fight against COVID-19. The country has responded with urgency and determination as reflected in the Prime Minister's bold and decisive leadership. The government has also aggressively stepped up the response measures - find, isolate, test, treat and trace. WHO is supporting the government's endeavour to further strengthen and intensify surveillance and build capacity of the health system. WHO stands together in solidarity with the government in its firm resolve to overcome this unprecedented challenge," says Dr Henk Bekedam, WHO Representative to India.
Government of India is taking all necessary steps to ensure that we are prepared well to face the challenge and threat posed by the growing pandemic of COVID-19 the Corona Virus. With active support of the people of India, we have been able to contain the spread of the Virus in our country. The most important factor in preventing the spread of the Virus locally is to empower the citizens with the right information and taking precautions as per the advisories being issued by Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.

I will highlight chronology of event and analysis major steps taken by Government of India:

January–February
Protective measures were first applied in January. India began thermal screening of passengers arriving from China on 21 January. Initially carried out at 7 airports, it was expanded to 20 airports towards the end of January. During February, the screening was extended to passengers from Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea.  Nepal, Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia were added to the list towards the end of February. Very few new cases were discovered during February.

March

·       On 3 March 2020, the Indian government stopped issuing of new visas. Previously issued visas for the nationals of Italy, Iran, South Korea, and Japan were suspended. 

·       On 4 March 2020, the Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Dr. Harsh Vardhan, announced compulsory screening of all international passengers arriving in India. He also said that so far, 589,000 people have been screened at airports, over one million screened at borders with Nepal and around 27,000 were currently under community surveillance.

·       On 12 March 2020 onwards The Press Information Bureau (PIB)started regular press briefing and updating citizen of India about the situation of COVID-19. This press briefing has joint secretary from Home Ministry, Health Ministry and Ministry of External Affairs, also senior scientist of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

This press briefing telecast at 4 PM IST and people wait for this every day. At my home everyone watches this with interest.  
All videos of press briefing can be found here: https://pib.gov.in/WebcastMore.aspx
Travel and entry restrictions
All visas were suspended 13 March 2020, except for diplomatic and other official visas, as well as the visa-free travel for Overseas Citizens of India. Indians returning from COVID-affected countries were asked to be quarantined for 14 days.

·       On 14 March 2020 65 labs were named capable for testing for the virus (though as of 17 March not all are fully functional). 

·       On 14 March 2020, scientists at the National Institute of Virology isolated a strain of the novel coronavirus. By doing so, India became the fifth country to successfully obtain a pure sample of the virus after China, Japan, Thailand and the US.

·       On 17 March 2020, The Government of India issued an advisory urging to all Indian states to take social distancing measures as a preventive strategy for implementation.

·       On 24 March 2020, the Government of India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered a nationwide lockdown for 21 days, limiting movement of the entire 1.3 billion population of India as a preventive measure against the 2020 coronavirus pandemic in India. It was ordered after a 14-hour voluntary public curfew on 22 March, followed by enforcement of a series of regulations in the country's COVID-19 affected regions. 

·       On 24 March 2020, Pune-based molecular diagnostic company Mylab Discovery Solutions became the first Indian company to have received validation for its RT-PCR tests from National Institute of Virology and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). The test takes 2.5 hours and the company is looking to price it at around ₹1,200 (US$17), or Rs 80,000 for a 100-test kit.

·       On 28 March 2020, the Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM CARES Fund) was set up to provide relief to the affected people. Several large business groups contributed to the relief fund also each and every Individual is contributing in it.

April 

·       As of 14 April 2020, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare have confirmed a total of 10,363 cases, 1,036 recoveries (including 1 migration) and 339 deaths in the country. (source https://www.mohfw.gov.in/)

·       On 14 April 2020, PM Narendra Modi extended nationwide lockdown till 3 May, and he also announced that after 20 April a conditional relaxation in lockdown will be given in some areas of the country where spread have been prevented or contained.

References:
Press Information Bureau (Government of India): https://pib.gov.in/
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare: https://www.mohfw.gov.in/