Coronavirus pandemic | 66% Indians want complete lockdown for a month in 15 high virus-load districts: Survey

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Around 66 percent Indians want a complete lockdown for at least a month in 15 districts with a high viral load of coronavirus, a survey conducted by social media platform LocalCircles has shown, according to Times of India. 

About 27 percent of participants responded in negative to implementation of lockdown in these districts while seven percent said they were unsure.

According to the newspaper, the media platform had conducted a similar survey on June 12, when over 74 percent of the respondents had said they want a complete lockdown in such districts. These districts with a high viral load include Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Indore, Ahmedabad, Thane, Pune, Kolkata, Jaipur and Jodhpur, among others.

According to the survey report, 79 percent of participants want at least a partial lockdown in districts experiencing week over week increase in COVID-19 cases and having 500 active cases.

More than 16,000 responses were received from 233 districts of India, according to the survey report, out of which 62 percent were male and 38 percent were female. Of the participants, 48 percent were from tier one cities while 13 percent of the responders were from tier 3, 4 and rural districts.

The government on June 30 released guidelines for the second phase of Unlock in India. The new guidelines, which have said that domestic flights and passenger trains will be expanded in calibrated manner, will come into effect from today.

Night curfew timings have also been relaxed from 10 pm to 5 am. However, schools, colleges and coaching institutions will continue to remain closed.

India has been consistently reporting over 18,000 daily COVID-19 cases. It is the fourth worst-hit country in the world,  and several states, including Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, have extended lockdowns till the end of July.