This Is Just Intermission In Our Fight Against Covid-19

Dr B. Ekbal wears many hats. He is a neurosurgeon, an academic, a public health activist and an established tabla player. He is also the chairperson of the expert committee that advises the chief minister of Kerala on all matters related to Covid-19. “I have learnt a lot more in the last three months than I did in my entire life,’’ says Ekbal in an exclusive interview with THE WEEK, referring to his experience of leading a team of experts drawn from all fields to fight the pandemic. But he warns that the battle is not over yet. Excerpts from the interview:

- Cithara Paul

Q/ Kerala is gradually phasing out the lockdown, although the number of infections and deaths are going up.

A/ Kerala's Covid story is at a turning point as we are entering the third phase of the fight against the pandemic. We could manage well till now because of our well-planned contact tracing, stringent quarantine measures and effective implementation of quarantine. But as the lockdown is going to be lifted, we are entering a new phase which is going to be very challenging. At the same time, it is only realistic that the lockdown be phased out. There is an extent to which any government can hold on to lockdown as a protective measure. Kerala must expect a huge inflow of non-resident Keralites (NRKs) from red zones across the world and this is bound to increase the number of positive cases dramatically. It is unavoidable and we are prepared to deal with it. Our focus at this juncture is to contain the spread of the disease from NRKs to others, which could lead to community spread.

Q/ How much more worse can it get?