The continuous rise in the number of people testing positive for coronavirus is expected to stabilise sometime soon, Niti Aayog member VK Paul said on Sunday.
He also said the rationale behind the government’s decision to extend the lockdown by two more weeks after May 3 is to consolidate the gains of the first and second phase of restrictions.
In an interview to PTI, Paul said sudden spurt in number of coronavirus cases is still amenable to containment strategy.
“The rationale (behind extending the lockdown till May 17) is that the gains of lockdown need to be consolidated in the country…Real goal of lockdown was to suppress the chain of transmission of the virus. So, we will lose that, if we abruptly end it,” he said.
Paul, who is heading an Empowered Group on medical equipment and management plan to tackle coronavirus outbreak, said that at the same time where situation is good, the opening will take place with caution and care.
Replying to a question that whether India has slipped into the community transmission stage, he said, “Essentially, we think it (continuous rise in coronavirus cases) is still amenable to containment strategy”.
He also noted that India is nowhere close to the kind of escalation of coronavirus cases that it witnessed during the pre-lockdown phase.
“In the pre-lockdown stage, we were doubling our number of cases in every five days. Before that even at every 3 days. Now, we are doubling in 11-12 days.
“So, overall the rate of spread has diminished but yes the number still has not stabilised. But we expect it to stabilise anytime…,” the Niti Aayog member said.
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