The difficult decision of the national lockdown bought them time as it slowed down the spread of the virus and gave the government time to prepare the healthcare infrastructure to trace, track, test, quarantine and treat people. India adopted an intelligent testing strategy to remain ahead of the virus. So in the beginning when the infection was entering the country from abroad, we centered our efforts to set up the initial burst of laboratories in cities. This focus kept on shifting on the basis of our analysis of the likely hotspots of the infection,” a government official explained. Like before the government started allowing the migrants to go back home, testing facilities preceded them in states such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Odisha. That was the most difficult part since India doesn’t have a medical college at the district level, and district-level hospitals don’t have the specialised set-up.

The war against Covid-19 reminds one of the guerrilla warfare strategy adopted by General Mikhail Kutuzov against Napoleon, and by General Vo Nguyen Giap against the US in the Vietnam war. The strategy was to disperse, localise, isolate, contain, equip and attack. It was a winning strategy. Given the nature and enormity of the challenge and the pathogen’s shifty and evolving character, India’s strategy is resilient and flexible. We are learning and shifting gears as we move forward. The idea of dispersing and localising the campaign to the districts and villages is significant and well thought through. The system of district administration is uniquely structured and equipped to come together during crises and disasters, and has time and again proved its efficacy, resilience and efficient delivery. Furthermore, it provides space for leadership and inter-departmental convergence. It is also built to align itself with the directives of the Centre and the state governments.