We may soon need selective measures that are almost as effective against covid but impose lower social and economic costs.

Before discussing the Indian lockdown, it is useful to recall the definition of a “lockdown". Broadly, it could mean either the confinement of prisoners to their cells, typically in order to regain control during a riot, or a state of human isolation or restricted access instituted as a security measure. The security measures instituted in India are meant to protect us against a viral threat. This threat is compounded by irresponsible foreign tourists and citizens who refuse to take the risk of person-to-person transmission seriously enough, and do not take precautionary measures such as home quarantining themselves.

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