onsdag 21. april 2021

Narendra Modi: Covid resurgence in India like being ‘hit by a storm’

India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, has warned the country’s resurgence of coronavirus was like being “hit by a storm” as new infections exceeded 250,000 a day, with hospitals at risk of being overwhelmed and cremations in some areas carried out around the clock. His government is facing mounting criticism for its handling of the crisis as oxygen, drugs, tests and hospital beds remain in critically short supply in the worst-hit areas. Modi, however, said that despite the huge scale of the health crisis lockdowns should be seen as a last resort.

Fresh concerns over the second wave of Covid-19 came as the British prime minister, Boris Johnson, cancelled a planned trip earlier this week and India was added to the UK’s travel “red list” amid concern over a new variant that has emerged in the country.