India to extend lockdown and expand testing capabilities
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has indicated that India’s lockdown of schools, shopping malls, houses of worship and public transport will be extended beyond today’s expiration date.
India’s prevention strategy has focused on isolating infected people, but the country has one of lowest testing capabilities per capita in the world. Scaling up testing is difficult. For instance, domestic production has been stymied by standstills in freight movement and confusion over who will pay for testing kits. International lockdowns have slowed shipments of necessary materials and increased overall production costs. The Indian government caused further panic and delays in production when the Supreme Court announced that tests should be provided for free. It later reversed this decision and announced that only those under public health insurance would receive free tests.
In the short term, the government has capped the price of tests, and as homegrown kit production increasingly improves, their price should fall. In any case, prices are likely to remain high unless the cost of raw materials is lowered or fixed, both of which are unlikely to occur under lockdown conditions. Until regular global trade resumes, India’s path to recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic will be complicated.
Wake up smarter with an assessment of the stories that will make headlines in the next 24 hours. Download The Daily Brief.
