Nearly 98% Indians under lockdown or other similar restrictions

As many as 26 states and union territories in India are either under lockdowns or some other restrictions (partial lockdown and night curfew) to curb the spread of COVID-19. The Centre has so far stayed away from imposing nationwide lockdown.

Among the states that have imposed a full lockdown are Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. States that have gone for partial lockdown and night curfew include Gujarat, Telangana, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Assam and Himachal Pradesh.

As per an India Today analysis, 98 per cent of India's population is facing some form of restriction to curb COVID-19 transmission.

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The DMK government in Tamil Nadu has announced a relief worth Rs 2,000, cut in Aavin milk rate, and free travel for women in state-run buses amid the worsening COVID-19 situation in the state.

According to health experts, a lax approach during the trough of the first wave is possibly the main reason for the resurgence in COVID-19, while others believe India's fight against COVID-19 was impacted due to the more fatal variants of the virus and new mutations.

"Early this year, as the new cases receded, people started interacting as if there was no virus. The immunity had already started declining. They organised mass gatherings, they stopped wearing masks, giving the opportunity to the virus to strike again," Director of Delhi's Institute of Genomics and Integral Biology Dr Anurag Agarwal told PTI.

Meanwhile, India's score on Oxford University's Global Stringency Index has reached 73.61 as of April 30, 2021. This score is likely to go up given the restrictions imposed by various states and union territories to arrest the growth in COVID-19 cases.

Oxford University's Global Stringency Tracker uses indicators like school closures, workplace closures, cancellation of public events, stay-at-home requirements, closure of public transport and travel bans among others.

Edited by Mehak Agarwal

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