KTR On Why Lockdown Should Be Extended

The world is not ready for the containment of COVID-19 and for India, the only chance is to delay it for as long as possible, Telangana minister KT Rama Rao said.

Mr. Rao's father, CM KCR, has asked PM Narendra Modi to extend the lockdown beyond its scheduled end of April 14. KTR on Tuesday said the extension should be for at least 2 weeks and then the situation can be reviewed.

"Not just India, not just Telangana, but the world is not prepared for a pandemic of this size, this proportion. The only way we can contain this in our opinion is to delay it as much as possible," Mr. Rao said.

Telangana's proposal to the Centre, KTR said, was that "The longer we extend this lockdown, the better it is in terms of containment. And beyond 30 April, we have to take stock of the situation and see where we are in terms of stages of the transmission of the virus."

Several states, including BJP-ruled Assam and Karnataka, have expressed concern about the lifting of the lockdown, indicating they favor a phased process. The Rajasthan CM, Congress's Ashok Gehlot, too, favored a phased withdrawal.

The Centre is yet to decide on the matter. While government sources said it is considering the states' proposal. Yesterday, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said a decision would be taken "in the national interest" at the right time.