It is easy to believe that the coronavirus doesn’t discriminate. But the truth is that most of the ways to ward off the infection are available only to the privileged lot.
From social distancing and masks to sanitisers, all of this is accessible to the affluent class, while the poor just struggle or are left with no option. These pictures and videos prove that.
1. Commuters on a Mumbai local train were forced to board the train amid heavy rains.
That was apparently the only way for them to get to their homes, even if it meant violating social distancing.
2. Delhiites commuting by the metro have no option but to stand close to each other.
3. Thousands of farmers were forced to protest recently when the government passed 3 contentious farm bills.
Protests cannot happen with masks and social distancing in place. While it is still unclear how the new laws will affect the farmer community, there’s anger and resentment among them.
None of the pictures that emerged from the protests showed farmers observing social distancing or wearing masks. Practically, that’s not even feasible.
4. Scores of migrant labourers did not have any means to follow rules or observe safety precautions, while trying to reach their homes amid lockdown.
Videos and pictures of migrant workers and their families cramped up in trucks were shared on social media.
Did they really have a choice? Clearly, they just wanted to get back to their homes.
5. Cramped in small houses, social distancing is a luxury for the residents of Dharavi in Mumbai.
Living in packed clusters in slums, a one-room housed at least 7 to 8 people, here. Maintaining distance is just out of question.
6. Shopkeepers find it difficult to maintain social distancing in narrow and congested lanes of Delhi markets.
With no access to soap, water, or money, social distancing, washing hands and using sanitisers and masks still remains a privilege for a large section of India’s population.