Wuhan’s experience shows that the long-term negative impact of a lockdown should not be underplayed
NEW DELHI : The government’s apex biomedical research body has said the novel coronavirus-induced lockdown will have a longlasting impact on the health of the nation and that the travel bans currently in force are unlikely to have any effect in the short and medium term.
The observations by the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) come at a time when the government is considering extending the 21-day lockdown. ICMR described lockdowns as a “drastic public health measure”.In a review of the current evidence on covid-19, published in the latest issue of Indian Journal of Medical Research, ICMR said the experience of Wuhan, the Chinese epicentre of the pandemic showed that while the benefits of a lockdown remain to be seen, its long-lasting negative impact should not be underplayed.
