Most of India should be locked down for 6-8 weeks: Top official

ICMR chief suggests lockdown in areas with more than 10 percent positivity, warning of disaster if Delhi reopens soon.

The head of the main Indian health agency responding to the coronavirus has said districts reporting a high number of infections should remain locked down for another six to eight weeks to control the spread of the rampaging disease. Dr Balram Bhargava, head of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), said in an interview to Reuters news agency that lockdown restrictions should remain in place in all districts where the rate of infection is above 10 percent of those tested. Currently, three-fourths of India’s 718 districts have what is known as a test-positivity rate above 10 percent, including major cities like New Delhi, Mumbai and the tech hub of Bengaluru.