Lessons From Hubei

A lockdown, followed by aggressive screening testing and hospitalisation, brought results

- Mukul Sanwal

Success in conquering SARS-CoV-2 is best defined in terms of ensuring that there is no community spread. The nature and scale of the effort calls for fresh thinking, as it reverses established approaches. The messaging from the Central and State governments must bring this out, and not leave it to the local bureaucracy and police to interpret as a curfew.

The Prime Minister has taken a bold political decision. However, India faces an unprecedented implementation challenge and must combine the lockdown with community involvement, and technology-based interventions.

Wuhan provides lessons, but not a template. The United States, European countries and even Singapore have not instituted a complete lockdown. Their focus is on those who need hospitalisation. Earlier, China relied extensively on technological tools to enforce the lockdown. India’s comparative advantage lies in the fact that the District Magistrate has the legitimacy and authority to mobilise the local population. Changing public behaviour, from one defined by panic and anxiety to one characterised by acceptance will not be easy without community involvement.