Microsoft founder Bill Gates has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi commending for the leadership role in fighting COVID-19 in India by adopting national lockdown and expanding focused testing to identify hotspots for isolation among other things.
He said he was glad to know that the Indian government was fully utilising its exceptional digital capabilities in its COVID-19 response and has launched the Aarogya Setu digital app for coronavirus tracking, contact tracing, and to connect people to health services.
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"We commend your leadership and the proactive measures you and your government have taken to flatten the curve of the COVID-19 infection rate in India, such as adopting a national lockdown, expanding focused testing to identify hot spots for isolation, quarantining, and care, and significantly increasing health expenditures to strengthen the health system response and promote R&D and digital innovation," Gates said in the letter.
Gates also said he was grateful to see that Modi was seeking to balance public health imperatives with the need to ensure adequate social protection for all Indians.