Most of India should remain locked down for 6-8 weeks: ICMR chief

Districts with over 10% Covid positivity rate should remain locked down, says Balram Bhargava while warning of disaster if Delhi reopens quickly after case surge

The head of the main Indian health agency responding to the coronavirus has said districts reporting a high number of infections should remain locked down for another six to eight weeks to control the spread of the rampaging disease.

Dr. Balram Bhargava, head of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), said in an interview that lockdown restrictions should remain in place in all districts where the rate of infection is above 10% of those tested.

Currently, three-fourths of India's 718 districts have what is known as a test-positivity rate above 10%, including major cities like New Delhi, Mumbai and