Lockdown likely in districts with 15 per cent positivity rate

New Delhi, Apr 28: As the number of COVID-19 cases surge in India, a lockdown proposal has been drawn up with exemptions for a set of defined essential services in 150 districts which have a positivity rate of above 15 per cent

At a high level meeting these measures were recommended as the health sector in these districts are under immense stress. While the ministry underlined the urgent need to tackle the spread in high caseload positivity districts, the Centre is likely to take a final call on the same in consultation with the states.

The health ministry took into account the very high positivity rate in these districts and suggested the need for restrictions in order to break the chain. India has been reporting over 3 lakh cases a day for almost a week now. Monday alone saw 3.25 lakh cases, with Maharashtra logging 48,700 cases, followed by Uttar Pradesh at 33,551 and Karnataka at 29,744. India's positivity rate now stands at 20 per cent.

With the positivity rate surging in several states, the Centre has advised against unnecessary movement of people. The states of Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Chhattisgarh have more than 1 lakh active cases and together account for 69 per cent of the total caseload.