AN EPIDEMIC OF A RESPIRATORY DISEASE caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) began in China in December 2019. On February 11, the World Health Organisation (WHO) named the disease coronavirus disease 2019, or COVID-19. After infecting around 81,000 people and killing 3,162 people in China, COVID-19 spread to 113 more countries, infecting more than 37,000 people and killing 1,130 as on March 11. On that day, exactly one month after giving it a name, WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic. At the time of writing, more than a million people have been infected and more than 50,000 died. And as this epidemic repeats a trajectory of exponential growth, as seen in China, it is stretching health care systems across Europe and the United States to their breaking point.
In India, the first COVID-19 infection was reported in Kerala on January 20. From early March, the virus started to spread across India; currently, 30 out of the country’s 36 States and Union Territories (U.Ts) are affected. On March 11, a high-level Group of Ministers under the chairmanship of the Union Health Minister met and announced drastic travel restrictions with effect from March 13 until April 15 banning the entry of foreigners and suspended all visas, barring a few categories. On March 19, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Indians at 8 p.m. and asked them to observe a “Janata curfew” on Sunday March 22. On March 23, Modi addressed the nation, again at 8 p.m., to announce a 21-day nationwide lockdown from midnight.
This story is from the April 24, 2020 edition of FRONTLINE.
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This story is from the April 24, 2020 edition of FRONTLINE.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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How Not To Handle An Epidemic
The lockdowns were meant to buy time to put in place appropriate health measures and contain the coronavirus’ spread, but they have failed to achieve the objective and heaped immense misery on the marginalised sections of society. India is still in the exponential phase of the COVID-19 infection and community transmission is a reality that the government refuses to accept.
Tragedy on foot
As the COVID-19-induced lockdown cuts the ground beneath their feet in Tamil Nadu, thousands of migrant workers are trudging along the highway to the relative safety of their upcountry homes.
Sarpanchs as game changers
Odisha manages to keep COVID-19 well under control because of the strong participation of panchayati raj institutions and the community at the grass-roots level under the leadership of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
Scapegoating China
As the COVID-19 death rate spikes and the economy tanks in the United States, Donald Trump and his advisers target China and the World Health Organisation with an eye to winning the forthcoming presidential election.
New worries
Kerala’s measured approach to the pandemic and lockdown has yielded results. But it still has to grapple with their huge economic impact on its economy, which it feels the Centre’s special financial relief package does little to alleviate.
No love lost for labour
Taking advantage of the lockdown and the inability of workers to organise protests, many State governments introduce sweeping changes to labour laws to the detriment of workers on the pretext of reviving production and boosting the economy.
Capital's Malthusian moment
In a world that needs substantial reorienting of production and distribution, Indian capital is resorting to a militant form of moribund neoliberalism to overcome its current crisis. In this pursuit of profit, it is ready and willing to throw into mortal peril millions whom it adjudicates as not worth their means—an admixture of social Darwinism born of capital’s avarice and brutalism spawned by Hindutva. .
Understanding migration
When governments and their plans are found to be blatantly wanting in addressing reverse migration, exercises such as the Ekta Parishad’s survey of migrant workers throughout India can be useful to work out creative long-lasting solutions.
Waiting for Jabalpur moment
The Supreme Court’s role in ensuring executive accountability during the ongoing lockdown leaves much to be desired. Standing in shining contrast is the record of some High Courts.
An empty package
The Modi regime, which has been unable to control the COVID-19 infection, restore economic activity and provide relief to millions exposed to starvation, trains its sights on Indian democracy, making use of the panic generated by fear and a lockdown that forecloses paths of resistance.
