National Post (National Edition)
India’s chaoticcities turn eerily silent as virus fears grow
Millions of India’s most impoverished hit the hardest
The normally bustling streets are silent across much of India as the country heeds Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 21-day lockdown to break the chain of transmission of the coronavirus, but the WhatsApp groups are buzzing.
As the number of infections continue to rise, the anger and anxiety once expressed by the honking of horns at rush hour is finding voice on neighbourhood and family message groups trying to figure out new rules for community living as the pandemic sweeps across the world.
Should part-time domestic workers be allowed to come and go? Are newspaper deliveries also bringing infections? What about food and groceries? Who should be allowed into apartment buildings?
The fear of infections has brought the chasm, always lingering in the background in this sprawling nation of 1.3 billion, between the country’s privileged and wealthy and the millions of poor who cook and clean and chauffeur them around, into sharp focus.
It’s also exposed how woefully ill-prepared India is to meet the needs of the millions of daily wage labourers who live off what they earn each day, keeping the flow of essential goods and services rolling to people who’ve been ordered to stay indoors for three weeks.
By late Friday India had reported 724 infections and 17 deaths, but there are growing fears the country will soon be overwhelmed with cases.
Despite government assurances that supplies of food and essentials would not be affected, shops in many cities are either out of supplies or running out fast. There are reports that trucks transporting supplies are being held up by police at state borders.
The abrupt halt of all movement — Modi announced the lockdown late Tuesday night to be implemented the very next day — has hit millions of India’s most poor the hardest. As gradual shutdowns were announced a week ago hundreds of thousands began to pack into crowded trains leaving the cities, panicked about being stranded without work, money or food.
And millions are still stuck as all railway movement across the country has been halted. The government announced a US$22-billion relief package on Thursday, but the terror is palpable. Local media has reported thousands of people are simply walking hundreds of kilometres toward their villages, clutching their children and meagre belongings.
Under one South Delhi overpass Puran, who uses just one name, stood with his family. In their hands they clutched a few packets of biscuits.
“We need some money or some food,” Puran said. “Someone gave us these,” he said showing the packets. “Because of this illness we have no work. We can’t go home. How can we live on these?”