India extends world’s biggest virus lockdown

India’s nationwide coronavirus lockdown, the biggest in the world covering 1.3 billion people, will be extended until May 3, Prime Minister Narendra Modi says.

The move comes despite complaints from millions of poor, a vast underclass who have been left almost completely without support as jobs have vanished and incomes dried up.

“From the economic angle, we have paid a big price,” Modi says. “But the lives of the people of India are far more valuable.”

“From the experiences of the last few days it is clear that the path we have chosen is correct.”

India’s three-week-old lockdown, in force since March 25, was scheduled to end at midnight Tuesday.

Modi says there would be “limited relaxations” from April 20 for districts with no cases, and new guidelines for industry and agriculture would be released Wednesday.

The announcement comes as debate rages around the world on how to lift restrictions so the economic carnage of the pandemic can be eased without a new spike in infections.

Official figures suggest South Asian nations have so far been relatively unscathed by the epidemic, with around 10,800 cases and 353 deaths in India.

Some experts say not enough tests have been conducted and the true number of infections is much higher.

And with some of the most crowded cities on the planet, there are fears that numbers could take off and overwhelm the shaky healthcare system.

Several states including Maharashtra — home to Mumbai and with the highest number of cases — Tamil Nadu and Odisha already announced lockdown extensions.

The World Health Organization Tuesday praised India’s decision to extend the lockdown, saying “it would go a long way in arresting the virus spread.”

— AFP