"Nowhere In The Game": Rahul Gandhi Slams Centre On Coronavirus Testing

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday questioned the government's efforts at increasing coronavirus testing as it extended the ongoing nationwide lockdown to May 3 to contain the pandemic. Accusing the government of dropping the ball on purchasing test kits on time, the Congress leader said India's testing was in the league of nations like Laos, Niger and Honduras.

"India delayed the purchase of testing kits & is now critically short of them. With just 149 tests per million Indians, we are now in the company of Laos (157), Niger (182) & Honduras (162). Mass testing is the key to fighting the virus. At present we are nowhere in the game (sic)," Mr Gandhi said.

India delayed the purchase of testing kits & is now critically short of them.

With just 149 tests per million Indians, we are now in the company of Laos (157), Niger (182) & Honduras (162).

Mass testing is the key to fighting the virus. At present we are nowhere in the game.

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) April 14, 2020

The opposition leader's remark came as latest government data showed the number of people infected with coronavirus in India had reached 10,363, with 339 deaths.

Although the numbers are small compared with hard-hit Western nations, health experts fear that is because of India's low levels of testing, and actual infection levels could be far higher.

Lacking testing kits and protective gear for medical workers, India had only tested just over 2 lakh individuals as of 9 pm Monday according to data from Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

The figure that Mr Gandhi quoted put India far behind Italy which has conducted 15,935 tests per million people and United States at 8,138.

Health experts have warned that widespread contagion could be disastrous in a country where millions live in dense slums and the health care system is overstretched.

So far, more than three-quarters of India's cases are concentrated in about 80 of the country's more than 700 districts, including New Delhi and Mumbai.

Rahul Gandhi and other opposition leaders have kept up the pressure on the government over its handling of the coronavirus crisis over the lack of enough protective gear or PPEs to medical professionals, the crisis triggered by the abrupt nationwide lockdown and inadequate testing.

The government has pushed back saying India was one of the first countries to start screening passengers at airports and mandate compulsory quarantines for visitors from the worst-hit countries.