India Should Use Risk-Based Approach, Not Blanket Bans: WHO On Covid

To contain Covid, the World Health Organisation representative said the agency does not recommend a blanket travel ban, nor complete restriction of people's movement.

Blanket approaches such as complete restriction on the movement of people and travel bans can be counterproductive in containing Covid in a country like India, says WHO's India representative Roderico H Ofrin while advocating target, risk-based strategies to counter the pandemic.

Stressing on the need to protect both lives and livelihoods, he said public health action in India and across the world must be continually guided by evidence from four key questions -- how transmissible is the variant, severity of the disease it causes, how well vaccines and prior SARS-CoV-2 infection protect and how common people perceive risk and follow control measures.

"WHO does not recommend a blanket travel ban, nor complete restriction of people's movement. In many ways, such blanket approaches can be counterproductive. India with its diversity in population distribution and geographic spread, the risk-based approach remains the wiser public health practice to counter a pandemic," Ofrin told news agency PTI in an email interview.

Depending on the epidemiological situation, available public health capacities and social and economic context, governments should tailor their measures to prevent and control the transmission, the Delhi-based official said as an Omicron driven surge pushed India's Covid tally to 3,76,18,271 (37.6 million/3.76 crore) on Tuesday.