Maharashtra state on Friday ordered malls and cinema halls to close as it scrambles to control a more transmissible variant of the coronavirus that has scuppered plans to ease lockdown measures.
The variant, identified locally as Delta Plus, showed increased transmissibility, with the health ministry advising states to increase testing.While it is not known where the variant originated, Public Health England first reported on Delta Plus in a Jun 11 bulletin, calling it a sub-lineage of the Delta variant first detected in India last year.
The Delta variant was partly responsible for a ferocious second wave in India that triggered a flood of cases and overwhelmed the health system. Scientists fear Delta Plus could trigger another wave of infections as India recovers from the second wave. Many states, including Maharashtra, have been easing lockdown rules imposed in April.
India is a big country with a huge population. The inherited ex British system have many flaws. This virus runaway in India isn't going to be contained. A sad future.