High infection rates in India are very troubling

Our readers have their say about India and Sheikh Hamdan

People walk along a street as markets open for the first time since the outbreak of coronavirus in Kashmir, India. EPA

I write to you in reference to your article India records biggest single-day jump in coronavirus cases (June 13). These high numbers are a very worrying development. The country has now become the fourth most affected nation by the coronavirus pandemic. Despite a host of new measures implemented by the Indian government, the number of people infected with the virus has yet to come down. I believe this is due to people's carelessness, as many in the country are not following the rules put in place by the state for their own protection. As a result, the pandemic is now spreading faster than ever before. It is high time for the people of India to face the pandemic responsibly.

K Ragavan, Bengaluru

Townfolk going back to their villages are a vector of coronavirus in India

Please refer to your alarming report Coronavirus: India overtakes Britain to become fourth-worst affected country (June 12). The cities of Mumbai and New Delhi have the highest number of cases in the country and are short of ICU beds, ventilators and medical staff. This is a very perturbing situation. The health system is under immense pressure, with so many sad stories emerging from the country. But it is never too late to make things better. India should commence building more hospitals in Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, and other cities heavily affected by this health crisis. The Covid-19 pandemic may continue for the next 12 to 18 months, or until a vaccine is discovered and widely distributed. India needs a better medical infrastructure not only to face the pandemic today, but to treat patients suffering from all sorts of conditions today and tomorrow.

India has had to relax the lockdown in order to kick-start economic activities. Millions of people have also returned from the cities, where they used to work, to their hometowns and villages. In some states, there has been a spike in the number of cases especially in rural areas. Between 70 to 90 per cent of the new cases in states like Bihar and Jharkhand are linked to people who have returned to their villages in the past few weeks.

Indians need to exercise maximum caution. If Covid-19 cases keep increasing, lockdowns will need to be re-imposed to protect lives, which will bring economic activity to a halt again.

Rajendra Aneja, Dubai

Sheikh Hamdan's speech about Covid-19 is truly inspiring

I write to you in reference to Simon Rushton's article Sheikh Hamdan: world must be prepared for the next disruption (June 12). What a great speech by the Crown Prince of Dubai. What Sheikh Hamdan said is very true, we are all in this together.

Evon Rawlings, Ajman