On December 31, 2019, China reported to the World Health Organisation (WHO) the detection of a number of cases of an atypical pneumonia from an unknown cause in the city of Wuhan in Hubei province, ground zero of what has now spread worldwide to be a true pandemic. Eleven weeks afterwards, this previously unknown infection (“Evolving epidemic”, Frontline, February 28), now called COVID-19 (for novel coronavirus disease 2019), has afflicted over two lakh individuals and consumed over 8,500 lives across 168 countries spanning five continents. China alone accounts for over 81,000 of these cases, followed by Italy with over 35,000 cases. (As on March 19, the number of cases and deaths stood at 2,09,839 and 8,778 respectively.)
Scientists are still searching for the exact epidemiological reason for this unprecedented rapid escalation in the number of cases across the globe, particularly in Italy where cases have mounted at an alarming rate.
The case log in Italy has jumped from a single-digit figure to this five-figure mark in just under a month beginning February 20, overwhelming the country’s resources so much that doctors and hospitals are having to make the morally difficult ethical choice of prioritizing who should be extended intensive care and who should be denied.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der April 10, 2020-Ausgabe von FRONTLINE.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der April 10, 2020-Ausgabe von FRONTLINE.
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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.
