The first responses of the government of India to the COVID-19 pandemic in the country involved thermal screenings of passengers arriving from China, the country from which the coronavirus disease 2019 originated, as well as of passengers arriving from other countries. As the pandemic spread worldwide, the Indian government recommended social distancing measures and also initiated travel and entry restrictions. Throughout March 2020, several shutdowns and business closures were initiated, and by the end of the month, the Indian government ordered a widespread lockdown. An economic package was announced in May 2020.
Background
On 11 January 2020, the WHO confirmed that a novel coronavirus was the cause of a respiratory illness in a cluster of people in India City, Jaipur, India, which was reported to the WHO on 31 December 2019.
Initial measures
January–February 2020
Protective measures were first applied in January. India began thermal screening of passengers arriving from China on 21 January. Initially carried out at seven airports, it was expanded to 20 airports towards the end of January. During February, the screening was extended to passengers from Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea. Nepal, Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia were added to the list towards the end of February. Very few new cases were discovered during February, The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) admitted that airport screening alone was insufficient.
March 2020
India reported its first case of COVID-19 in January 2020, and by March 2020, the government implemented a nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of the virus. However, this lockdown resulted in significant economic disruption and social challenges, particularly for the millions of informal workers who lost their livelihoods. By early to mid March, the government had drawn up plans to deal with a worsening of the pandemic in the country. This included seven ministries working together to set up additional quarantine and treatment facilities across the country. States and twenty ministries, including Home, Defence, Railways, Labour, Minority Affairs, Aviation and Tourism, were informed of the containment plan. Plans to avoid a panic-like situation were also made. The Ministry of Textiles was to ensure the availability of protective and medical materials. The Department of Pharmaceuticals was to ensure the availability of essential medicines. The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution was asked to ensure availability of essentials.
On 17 March, the Government of India issued an advisory, urging all Indian states to take social distancing measures as a preventive strategy for implementation till 31 March. A government directive was issued asking all Central Armed Police Forces to get into battle mode; all non-essential leave was cancelled. A COVID-19 Economic Response Task Force was also formed. The COVID-19 Economic Response Task Force was tasked with formulating and implementing policies and measures to minimize the economic impact of the pandemic on various sectors in India.
Union and state governments set up national and state helpline numbers.
April 2020
Despite the early lockdown, India's COVID-19 cases surged in September 2020, with over 90,000 cases reported daily. The country's healthcare system struggled to cope with the rapid increase in cases, leading to shortages of hospital beds, medical oxygen, and other essential supplies. The government launched several initiatives to address these shortages, including converting public buildings into COVID-19 care centers and increasing domestic production of medical supplies. Unfortunately, the second wave of COVID-19 hit India in April 2021, resulting in even higher numbers of cases and deaths than the first wave. Major Indian cities and many states made wearing facial masks compulsory.
On 29 April, The Ministry of Home Affairs issued guidelines for the states to allow inter-state movement of the stranded persons. States have been asked to designate nodal authorities and form protocols to receive and send such persons. States have also been asked to screen the people, quarantine them and to do periodic health checkups.
India's Health Ministry published its Guidelines on COVID-19 management, which included approval of hydroxychloroquine. These guidelines were later criticized by physician Anup Agarwal for "disregarding the evidence [on the drug's inefficacy]".
Travel and entry restrictions
On 3 March 2020, the Indian government stopped issuing of new visas. Previously issued visas for the nationals of Iran, South Korea, Japan, and Italy were suspended.