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Covid-19 and the effects of lockdown in India
Coronavirus are a family of viruses that cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to more
severe diseases like Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory
Syndrome (MERS).
They circulate in animals and some can be transmitted to between animals and humans. Several
coronaviruses are circulating in animals that still have not yet infected humans.
The new coronavirus is the seventh known to affect humans and was named COVID-19.
Common signs of the virus include coughing, fever and breathing difficulties. In severe cases it
can cause pneumonia, organ failure and eventually death.
The incubation period of COVID-19 is estimated to be between 1 and 14 days. Unlike other
coronaviruses like SARS, it is contagious during it’s incubation period. This is why so many
people get infected. Infected patients can also be asymptomatic, meaning they do not show any
symptoms while having the virus.
It was first reported to WHO from China as an unusual type of pneumonia in Wuhan on
December 31. It is thought to have originated in a Seafood market where wildlife was sold
illegally.
On February 7, Chinese researchers said the virus could have spread from an infected animal to
humans through illegally trafficked pangolins (Saphû), prized in Asia as medicine. Scientists
have pointed to either bats or snakes as possible sources.
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a nationwide lockdown was imposed on India from initially for
3 weeks from 24th March to 14th April 2020 and extended up to 3rd May 2020. Due to the
restrictions, pollution levels in cities across the country drastically slowed down within a few
days. Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) and Carbon Monoxide (CO) have shown considerable decline
during lockdown according to National Air Quality Index (NAQI) in Delhi. The pollution caused
by transportation and industries have also been reduced by approximately 60% during lockdown.
Air quality has improved considerably in major cities like Mumbai, Delhi, etc.
Although the lockdowns have helped improve the quality of air in India, the same cannot be said
for the lives of the layman. Laborers, shopkeepers, food stalls, hotels, transport and the tourism
industry have all been hit hard by the lockdown and the pandemic. The Indian government’s
apathy towards the middle and lower class who are the driving force of India’s economy has
never been more prevalent.
When our high and mighty useless Prime Minister ordered the lockdown with less than 4 hours’
notice, he said “Forget what it is like stepping out of the house for 21 days. Stay at home and
only stay at home,” He mentioned nothing about daily wage-earners; mostly migrant workers
whose income, in an instant, disappeared.
Migrant laborers are among the most vulnerable parts of the “informal sector,” which make up
80 percent of India’s workforce. The country’s infrastructure is built on the backs of these
workers. They construct malls, multiplexes, hospitals, apartment blocks, hotels. They work as
factory hands, delivery boys, loaders, cooks, painters, rickshaw pullers. They stand the whole
day by the side of the road selling fruits and vegetables and tea and flowers. The keyword here is
‘migrant’ meaning these workers come from elsewhere and more than likely cannot afford to
stay in their respective cities without work. In their village, they had family, wouldn’t have to
pay rent, and were more likely to get something to eat. All buses, trains, and taxis had been
stopped, so they had no transportation. Most had to walk on foot. News reports said workers
were stranded in railway stations. Some tried to surreptitiously flee in container trucks carrying
essential commodities, but they were intercepted.
So the people started walking, first in a trickle and then in a flood. By the next evening, a
shocked nation saw images of thousands walking down highways. More than half a million
people have left India’s cities. At least 20 have died while trying to make it home.
he government asked voluntary organizations to help, and when soup kitchens and shelters were
set up, they were soon packed with people. A few state governments provided buses for the
migrant workers, but so many needed a ride that the lines were half a mile long.
Migrant workers never seem to be much of a consideration for politicians. This episode is only
one of many examples of that fact. These workers, despite their numbers, have no political clout.
Many are registered to vote in their village. But when election day comes, they are usually in the
city where they work and unable to cast a ballot.
Statistically, they are almost invisible. Because they consistently move between villages and
cities, and among work sites, capturing their number is difficult. The federal government’s 2017
economic survey said, “If the share of migrants in the workforce is estimated to be even 20
percent, the size of the migrant workforce can be estimated to be over 100 million.”
India has welfare measures for people below the poverty line, but migrant workers rarely have
access to them. Chinmay Tumbe, a professor at the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad
and the author of India Moving: A History of Migration, points out that welfare services are
often only available in one’s place of birth.
