MUMBAI/TOKYO -- India on Monday entered Phase 3 of the world's largest lockdown, in place since March 25. Although the action is being dubbed a two-week extension of the quarantine, it marks a considerable relaxation of the ban on people's movements and interactions in many parts of the country.
With it, India shifted its COVID-19 battleplan from a uniform nationwide lockdown to more locally tailored restrictions implemented by local governments. The move comes after the world's most stringent lockdown succeeded in preventing a surge in infections but failed to move the daily infection rate onto a downward trajectory.
