SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST: Why coronavirus lockdowns will not be easy for developing countries, and what they can learn

Description

More developing countries have imposed lockdowns as the number of confirmed cases of

Covid-19

infection soared in the last week.

India

has been under an unprecedented

nationwide lockdown

since March 25, with the country’s 1.3 billion people ordered to stay at home for at least 21 days.

South Africa

started a

three-week lockdown

on March 27 and brought in the military to ensure it is enforced.

In

Indonesia

, President

Joko Widodo

, commonly known as Jokowi, so far has resisted calls to impose a lockdown because of the social and economic ramifications, but pressure is mounting for such a measure in the capital Jakarta, which has seen over 600 confirmed cases.

As an increasing number of developing countries contemplate stricter containment strategies to control the outbreak, it is critical to reflect on some salient features of the Covid-19 pandemic in the light of the experiences and circumstances in these countries.