'People are not following Covid-19 measures'

An unwillingness by people to adhere to coronavirus safety protocols is partly responsible for infections in the Indian state of West Bengal rising exponentially, the general secretary of the Association of Health Service Doctors in West Bengal has said.

Dr Manas Gumta told BBC World News that while a lockdown may be required it was not the answer as many poorer people would suffer and the government was not planning for that.

What was needed was a strict adherence to coronavirus protocols, the construction of makeshift large hospitals and isolation centres and uninterrupted supplies of medicine, drugs and oxygen, he said.

India reported more than 414,000 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, but experts believe this could be an underestimate.