Indian migrant workers may be the hindrance for the world’s largest lockdown

Indian migrant workers may be the hindrance for the world’s largest lockdown

 

Thousands of Indian migrant workers are left without jobs and pay and are in an attempt to leave the major cities to go back home in this lockdown.

These migrants are undermining the prime minister’s attempts to minimize the spread of Coronavirus in India, as some people have started their journey on foot due to the public transport closure. These migrant workers are left with no choice after the industries have been shut down by the government.

Indian government this week has pledged 422 billion in support of migrant workers who are trapped away from home without any work and money. The government will prove to them the kitchen and food deliveries.

“We have installed more than 12 thousand vehicles in the state to transport vegetables, milk, medicines, and food grains from door to door,” Yogi Adityanath tweeted on his official account. “No person at night shelters, bus, and railway stations … will stay hungry or thirsty,” he said.

On Saturday night Chennai government revealed that 4500 workers are stuck at the railway station amidst the lockdown are unable to return home. About 1700 workers went into relief shelters of the city, and the remaining are still unaccounted as of Friday.

The entire country is in lockdown to restrict the spread of novel Coronavirus. The virus has killed 17 people in India so far. There were 724 confirmed cases as of Friday in India, whereas South Korea has only a 3.8% population of the size of India and has confirmed 9,200 cases so far. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced full country lockdown this week until 31st March, and only essential services like hospitals, supermarkets will remain open

“There is no other way to remain safe from the Coronavirus. If we have to stop the spread, we have to break the cycle of infection.” Said Modi

All factories, shops, markets, workshops, and worship places have been closed along with public transports such as metro, and interstate buses have also been suspended, and the construction work has been put on halt.

WHO official said on Monday at a press briefing that India has a major role to play in controlling the global Pandemic.

“The future of this Pandemic to a great extent will be determined by what happens in very large, highly populated, densely populated countries. So it’s really, really important that India continues to take aggressive action,” said Director Michael Ryan WHO Executive.

India has fewer than 1000 cases right now, but the fear of Pandemic has created panic on front line medical staff.

Nurses and doctors in New Delhi addressed CNN that they have been banned by their communities in fear of getting the virus back home from hospitals.

Many doctors are also threatened for having cut down the electricity.

“Many doctors are now stranded on the roads with all their luggage, nowhere to go, across the country, In this hour of crisis, doctors and nurses in white clothes are a form of God. They are putting themselves in danger to save us … Doctors, nurses and medical staff save our lives and we can never repay their debt,” said a letter from the Resident Doctors’ Association of New Delhi’s

 

Shubhrata Choudhary