In India for instance, the world’s biggest lockdown has prompted hundreds of thousands of migrant workers to return to their home villages, many on foot.
作者： bharat.cn
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A motorist rides past an awareness graffiti reading ‘Stay home be safe’, during a government-imposed nationwide lockdown as a preventive measure against the coronavirus in Chennai.
A motorist rides past an awareness graffiti reading ‘Stay home be safe’, during a government-imposed nationwide lockdown as a preventive measure against the coronavirus in Chennai. -
A deserted view of the Yamuna motorway that connects Delhi with Agra during a 21-day nationwide lockdown
A deserted view of the Yamuna motorway that connects Delhi with Agra during a 21-day nationwide lockdown India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan and other smaller nations, which have 1.8 billion people and some of the planet’s most densely populated cities, have so far reported relatively few coronavirus cases but experts fear they could be the next hotspots.
The dire economic effects are already much in evidence, with widespread lockdowns freezing most normal activity, Western factory orders cancelled and vast numbers of poor workers suddenly jobless.
“South Asia finds itself in a perfect storm of adverse effects. Tourism has dried up, supply chains have been disrupted, demand for garments has collapsed and consumer and investor sentiments have deteriorated,” said a World Bank report. -
The nationwide lockdown to contain the deadly coronavirus looks set to be extended by two more weeks till April-end
The nationwide lockdown to contain the deadly coronavirus looks set to be extended by two more weeks till April-end after a consensus emerged among states on Saturday for continuing the curbs amid the tally of confirmed infections crossing 7,500 with a record increase of over 1,000 cases within 24 hours.
While Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked state governments to take steps to curb the lockdown violations and ensure adherence to social distancing, he also announced a shift in focus from ‘Jaan hai to jahaan hai’ (health is wealth) to ‘Jaan bhi, jahaan bhi’ (lives as well as livelihoods), which many saw as indications towards relaxations for certain economic activities, including for industrial and agriculture sector.
The next 3-4 weeks would be critical to determine the impact of steps taken till now to curb the virus spread, Modi told the chief ministers.
‘JAAN BHI, JAHAAN BHI’
The nationwide coronavirus lockdown is set to be extended at least till April 30 after a broad “consensus” on it emerged on Saturday during a meeting of chief ministers with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who stressed on “jaan bhi, jahaan bhi”, indicating that restrictions may be tweaked as it was important to save livelihoods along with lives.
During their interaction, several chief ministers demanded financial and fiscal relief from the Centre to fight the pandemic, while Modi suggested measures to incentivise direct marketing of farm produce to help farmers, among other steps to help the country remain healthy and to prosper too. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the states have demanded Rs 10 lakh crore package.