The poor bear the brunt as India extends nationwide lockdown
Print Edition
India鈥檚 nationwide coronavirus lockdown, the biggest in the world covering 1.3 billion people, will be extended until May 3, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced yesterday.
The move comes despite complaints from millions of poor, a vast underclass who have been left almost completely without support as jobs have vanished and incomes dried up.
鈥淔rom the economic angle, we have paid a big price,鈥 Modi said. 鈥淏ut the lives of the people of India are far more valuable.
鈥淔rom the experiences of the last few days it is clear that the path we have chosen is correct.鈥
India鈥檚 current 21-day lockdown, in force since March 25, had been scheduled to end at midnight yesterday.
Modi said there would be 鈥渓imited relaxations鈥 from April 20 for areas with no cases, and new guidelines for industry and agriculture would be released today.
The announcement comes as debate rages around the world on how to lift restrictions so that the economic carnage of the pandemic can be eased without a new spike of infections.
Official figures suggest South Asian nations have so far been relatively unscathed by the pandemic, with around 10,000 cases and 339 deaths in India.
Some experts say India has not conducted enough tests and that the true number of infections is much higher.
And with some of the most crowded cities on the planet, there are fears that numbers could take off and overwhelm the shaky health care system.
Several states, including Maharashtra 鈥 home to Mumbai and with the highest number of cases 鈥 Tamil Nadu and Odisha have already announced lockdown extensions.
The World Health Organization yesterday praised India鈥檚 decision to extend the lockdown, saying 鈥渋t would go a long way in arresting the virus spread.鈥
鈥淒espite huge and multiple challenges, India has been displaying unwavering commitment in its fight against the pandemic,鈥 WHO regional director Poonam Khetrapal Singh said in a statement.
The shutdown, with strict limits on activity, has been devastating for the economy 鈥 and in particular for India鈥檚 poor.
Millions of daily wage laborers suddenly lost their jobs. A vast number of them have to travel hundreds of kilometers back to their home villages, often on foot.
Some died on the way, while others were shunned by locals when they made it back. One clip that went viral on social media showed a group of migrant workers being hosed down with chemicals by local officials.
Others have been stranded in cities in cramped, unsanitary conditions where the virus could spread quickly.
Farmers have complained of a lack of workers while thousands of trucks not allowed to move because the lockdown have hampered food transport.
鈥淲e have tried to keep the interests of the poor and the daily wage workers in mind while making these new guidelines,鈥 Modi said in his 24-minute address yesterday.
鈥淭he central and state governments are working together to ensure that the farmers don鈥檛 face any problems.鈥
Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das has called the coronavirus an 鈥渋nvisible assassin鈥 that could wreak havoc on the economy.
Even before the pandemic, the Indian economy was stuttering, with the highest unemployment for decades.
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