ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected every country. India, the biggest democracy in the world, has been successful in giving it a tough fight. How the country tackled the virus has been widely discussed and debated. The Kerala Model’s success was discussed in the World Health Organization. Early screening of passengers, investing in healthcare infrastructure, intense contact tracing and isolation strategies and social campaigns like ‘Break the Chain’ that emphasised hand hygiene helped the state battle the virus.
Maharashtra declared the disease as an epidemic and called for the shutdowns of mass gatherings, barring only essential services, whereas other states, like Odisha, declared it a disaster and fast-tracked setting up a 1000-bed hospital within 15 days. Rajasthan’s Bhilwara Model focused on sealing off borders to the district to contain the virus and imposing a curfew in the district, as well as house-to-house surveys for possible cases and detailed contact tracing of each positive person.
India’s North East ranks the lowest in healthcare infrastructure as reported by NITI Aayog’s (National Institution for Transforming India) Sustainable Development Goal index for 2019–2020. The border states of the region went into overdrive; a precautionary measure was to seal borders with the neighbouring countries. Rigorous screening and testing were initiated at the Guwahati airport and railway station since it is the most utilised entry point to the entire region. Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh ordered increased surveillance of the porous border with Bangladesh and China, respectively.
Assam’s COVID Sentinel Project was a pathbreaking success in the region. Volunteers and people from local communities joined the project via social media sources. These measures of the region, with their thrust of community involvement, were unique and helped in curbing the rapid spread of the virus in India’s North East.
