Nationwide lockdown only option left to check COVID-19, says Gehlot

Endorsing Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's call for a nationwide lockdown, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday said it can help in breaking the chain of COVID-19 if planned properly.

There is already a shortage of oxygen, medicines and other equipment, and the country might soon face a shortage of medical staff as well, he warned.

"I fully endorse the call given by @RahulGandhi ji that national lockdown is the only option left. For more than one year our doctors, medical staff have been performing under excessive workload for the nation. We have lost many of them," the chief minister said.

"The second wave is staring us in the face- Experts and doctors believe that how much ever we prepare we are already facing shortage of oxygen, medicines and other equipment, soon we may run short of medical staff as well," he added in a series of tweets.

A lockdown planned properly to avoid hardships and misery to the poor and the migrant workers may be helpful in breaking the chain of the virus, Gehlot added.