Indian authorities announced to ease lockdown restrictions on Friday in some parts of the country, allowing markets to reopen in rural areas and outside hotspot areas, and alleviating financial stress for tens of millions of people. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a nationwide lockdown on 25th March for three weeks, which was later extended till 3rd May. Due to the lockdown, most businesses stopped operating across the country, except for those selling food, medicine, and other essential items.
India eases lockdown restrictions for some businesses.
The lockdown in India has caused a humanitarian crisis as daily wage workers, and poor section of the country is finding it extremely difficult to survive. Initially, when the nationwide lockdown was announced with just a four warning, thousands of migrant workers came out on roads to go back to their villages and cities, some even walked hundreds of miles by foot to go home. Now, India’s Ministry of Home Affairs announced that it would allow shops in rural areas to reopen, except liquor stores and those in malls or other large complexes. Neighborhood and stand-alone shops in urban areas could also open if they were outside hot zones.
Infected cases continue to increase in India.
So far, over 24,000 people have been diagnosed with COVID 19, and nearly 800 people have lost their lives in the country. The impact of the coronavirus outbreak on India’s economy has also been quite devastating. Millions of people in the country are relying on government food handouts and other subsidies. The unemployment rate in the country has also increased because of the lockdown.
So far, 2.8 million people have been diagnosed with COVID 19, and over 190,000 people have died around the world. The new numbers of infected cases are increasing each day exponentially. Earlier, the World Trade Organisation had revealed that they are expecting a fall of up to 32% in the global trade this year.
