Act boldly, act now to check spread of coronavirus: Chidambaram

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Monday called for bold and immediate actions to check the spread of novel coronavirus as he favoured a complete lockdown in the country.

"Learn the lessons from Italy. Piecemeal measures will lag behind the spread of the disease. Act boldly, act now," he said on Twitter.

"For nearly a week, I have pleaded for a lockdown throughout the country for 2-4 weeks. My plea was met with silence and, in some cases, by derisive trolls," he said.

The former finance minister said there will be massive economic pain. "But it is possible to handle the economic consequences than the loss of numerous live," he said. The total number of COVID-19 cases in the country rose to 390 on Monday after 30 fresh cases were reported. The figure includes 41 foreign nationals and the seven deaths reported so far. Italy has been among the worst affected countries.