India's lockdown: an interim report

Violence Against Adolescent Girls During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Quantitative Evidence From Rural and Urban Communities in Maharashtra, India

PURPOSE

While the "shadow pandemic" of violence against women during the global health crisis caused by COVID-19 is well documented, little is known about its impact on adolescent girls. This study assesses the pandemic's effect on different forms of violence against girls in Maharashtra, India.

METHODS

Adolescent girls from rural communities and urban slum pockets in Pune and Sangli, Maharashtra, were recruited between February and April 2022. Girls were eligible for participation if they were aged 13-18 years, irrespective of additional characteristics such as school attendance, caste or socioeconomic status. Quantitative data on health-related and socioeconomic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, family violence, and intimate partner violence (IPV; for married/partnered girls) were collected using audio- and computer-assisted self-interview techniques. We estimated a multivariable logistic regression model to assess the pandemic's impact on violence risk.

RESULTS

Three thousand forty-nine adolescent girls were recruited into the study, 251 (8.2%) of whom had been married as children. Two thousand and three (65.7%) girls reported exposure to at least one form of family violence in the preceding year and 405 (71.7%) partnered girls reported incidents of IPV. Domestic violence risk increased significantly in households that suffered greater economic harm (odds ratio = 1.19, 95% confidence interval 1.13-1.26) and negative health consequences (odds ratio = 1.76, 95% confidence interval 1.54-2.02) from the pandemic. Similarly, greater detrimental health and economic impacts were associated with higher IPV risk.

DISCUSSION

The COVID-19 pandemic has substantially increased girls' vulnerability to violence. Preventive measures and concerted, youth-focused policy efforts to extend support services to adolescent violence survivors are urgently needed.

COVID-19 and Biopolitics: An Essay on Iran

In the intricate tapestry of Iran's geopolitical, cultural, and economic landscape, the COVID-19 pandemic catalysed profound changes. This essay delves into the multifaceted impact of the pandemic on Iranians' lives, dissecting the specific nuances shaped by the complex biopolitical environment. We unravel the subtle imprints of COVID-19 on the biopolitical discourse, exploring how it intricately intertwines with daily life, social interactions, and the nation's health system.

Challenges of SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance in India during low positivity rate scenario

Being the second most populous country in the world, India presents valuable lessons for the world about dealing with the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. From this perspective, we attempted a retrospective evaluation of India's SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance strategy and also gave some recommendations for undertaking effective genomic surveillance. The dynamics of the COVID-19 pandemic are continuously evolving, and there is a dire need to modulate the genomic surveillance strategy accordingly. The pandemic is now settling towards a low positivity rate scenario, so it is required to revise the practices and policies formulated for a high positivity rate scenario. The perspective also recommends adopting a decentralised approach for SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance with a focus on optimising the workflow of SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance to ensure early detection of emerging variants, especially in the low positivity rate scenario. The perspective emphasises a key observation that the SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance is an important mitigation effort during the pandemic, the guards of such mitigation efforts should not be lowered during the low positivity rate scenario. We attempt to highlight the limitations faced by the Indian healthcare administration during the SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance and, simultaneously, suggest policy interventions derived from our first-hand experience, which may be implementable in a vast, populated country like India.

The macroeconomics of pandemics around the world: Lives versus livelihoods revisited

The COVID-19 pandemic led governments around the world to impose unprecedented restrictions on economic activity. Were these restrictions equally justified in poorer countries with fewer demographic risk factors and less ability to weather economic shocks? We develop and estimate a fully specified model of the macroeconomy with epidemiological dynamics, incorporating subsistence constraints in consumption and allowing preferences over "lives versus livelihoods" to vary with income. Poorer countries' demography pushes them unambiguously toward laxer policies. But because both infected and susceptible agents near the subsistence constraint will remain economically active in the face of infection risk and even to some extent under government containment policies, optimal policy in poorer countries pushes in the opposite direction. Moreover, for reasonable income-elasticities of the value of a statistical life, the model can fully rationalize equally strict or stricter policies in poorer countries.

Air quality change and public perception during the COVID-19 lockdown in India

This study aims at analyzing the change in air quality following the COVID-19 lockdown in India and its perception by the general public. Air quality data for 100 days recorded at 193 stations throughout India were analyzed between 25th March to 17th May 2020. A nationwide online survey was conducted to obtain public perceptions of air quality improvement (n = 1750). On average, approximately 40% improvement in the air quality index was observed, contributed by a reduction in 40% of PM₁₀, 44% of PM_2.5, 51% of NO₂ and 21% of SO₂. There was a significant difference between the levels of all the pollutants before and after the lockdown (p < 0.05), except ozone. The correlation between PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 with ozone was significant after the lockdown period, indicating that a significant portion of the particulates present in the atmosphere after the lockdown period is secondary. The values of PM_2.5/PM₁₀ were found to be >0.5 in North East states and this observation points to the long-distance transport of PM_2.5 from other places. The survey for public perception showed that 60% of the respondents perceived improvement in air quality. Household emissions were perceived to be a significant source of pollution after the lockdown. An odds ratio (OR) of 17 (95%, CI: 6.42, 47.04) indicated a very high dependence of perception on actual air quality. OR between air quality and health improvement was 5.2 (95%, CI: 2.69, 10.01), indicating significant health improvement due to air quality improvement. Google Trends analysis showed that media did not influence shaping the perception. There was a significant improvement in the actual and perceived air quality in India after the COVID-19-induced lockdown. PM₁₀ levels had the most decisive influence in shaping public perception.

Informal workers in India as an economic shock absorber in the era of COVID-19: A study on policies and practices

BACKGROUND: With greater uncertainties and economic divides in Indian formal and Informal economies; the lockdown in its unprecedented ways severely knocked the crucial vulnerabilities of majorly the informal sector of the economy. METHODS: The study was conducted across the Indian population who have suffered from the bad impact of COVID-19 and the lockdown. The data collection process was conducted during the COVID-19 outbreak from June 2020 to October 2020. Multiple regression analysis and independent-sample t-test were applied to test the hypothesis. RESULTS: The study closely highlights the role of the government system towards non-government organizations those who played a crucial role in the welfare of the informal workers. The results suggest that the most affected group of people in the COVID-19 lockdown are the informal workers who were working on daily wages for their bread and butter. The government endeavor was also found significant in supporting the informal workers.

Assessment of water quality and ecosystem health of a canal system during the lockdown period

The impacts of the lockdown period on water quality and ecosystem health in an artificial canal water system were investigated from the rapidly growing Kozhikode City in India. The ecosystem health is measured in terms of water quality indicators such as pH, electrical conductivity (EC), dissolved oxygen (DO), biological oxygen demand (BOD) and Escherichia coli (E. coli) during the pre-lockdown and lockdown period. The study reveals the massive improvement of the ecosystem health of the canal in terms of DO, BOD, and E. coli during the lockdown period. DO values were improved from anoxic (0 mg/L) to oxic (> 5 mg/L), BOD reduced from 31 to 0.7 mg/L as well as E. coli at major urban stretches were 800 MPN/100 mL, which was observed to be absent during the lockdown period. Urban stretches of the canal implicitly proved that the lockdown period was not sufficient to recover the natural ecosystem condition of the canal system. Principal component analysis revealed that the ecosystem health of the canal majorly governs two factors, such as the weathering process and anthropogenic waste sources. The study advocates the policy makers that temporary pollution source control in a timely interval may heal the environment and is useful to the regulatory bodies for suggesting the pollution source control mechanism.

Unemployment and labour market recovery policies

Evidence shows long-term unemployment (LTU) can have life-long scarring impacts on the future employment and earning prospects of individuals and lead to an overall deterioration in the wellbeing of communities. This article examines long-term unemployment in India, providing some of the first estimates from a panel of individuals before and during the pandemic. It shows that LTU makes up a substantial proportion of unemployment among the working-age population, particularly among young workers who have fared even worse since the pandemic. Existing benefits have proven inadequate in addressing long-term unemployment and young workers have a strong desire for active labour market policies from the government to address the worklessness crisis. A national-level commitment to active labour market policies could prevent a lost generation of young workers from falling into long-term unemployment and the ills that accompany it.

COVID-19 and distortions in urban food market in India

In this paper, we study the effects of the spread of COVID-19 on retail and wholesale prices of urban markets in India, as well as price distortion between markets and the mark-up between retail and wholesale prices. Using fixed-effects panel regression models, we find that with the spread of COVID-19, prices increased for commodities with longer shelf-life such as pulses and processed items, while prices of vegetables such as onions and tomatoes declined substantially at the onset of the pandemic. Further, market distortions increased significantly for most commodities. Pulses experienced large price distortions between markets as well as mark-ups between retail and wholesale prices. We, however, do not see any major price distortions in the market for rice and wheat, which are controlled by Government’s minimum support prices.

Roles of Economic Development Level and Other Human System Factors in COVID-19 Spread in the Early Stage of the Pandemic

We identified four distinct clusters of 151 countries based on COVID-19 prevalence rate from 1 February 2020 to 29 May 2021 by performing nonparametric K-means cluster analysis (KmL). We forecasted future development of the clusters by using a nonlinear 3-parameter logistic (3PL) model, and found that peak points of development are the latest for Cluster I and earliest for Cluster IV. Based on partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) for the first twenty weeks after 1 February 2020, we found that the prevalence rate of COVID-19 has been significantly influenced by major elements of human systems. Better health infrastructure, more restriction of human mobility, higher urban population density, and less urban environmental degradation are associated with lower levels of prevalence rate (PR) of COVID-19. The most striking discovery of this study is that economic development hindered the control of COVID-19 spread among countries in the early stage of the pandemic. Highlights: While richer countries have advantages in health and other urban infrastructures that may alleviate the prevalence rate of COVID-19, the combination of high economic development level and low restriction on human mobility has led to faster spread of the virus in the first 20 weeks after 1 February 2020.

Imprints of COVID-19 lockdowns on total petroleum hydrocarbon levels in Asia's largest brackish water lagoon

India successfully executed one of the strictest lockdowns in the world during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, which provided unique opportunities to analyze the second-largest populous country's anthropogenic footprint on its natural systems. India's first Ramsar site and the world's second-largest brackish water system Chilika lagoon experienced a substantial decline (64%) in the total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPHC) level in water, which was attributed to the massive declines or, at times, an abrupt complete halt of motorized boat operations for fishing and tourism. Using the TPHC values during the lockdown period, our study recommends a TPHC baseline threshold of 2.02 μg L^-1 and 0.91 μg g^-1 for Chilika waters and sediment, respectively. These baseline values can be used to quantify oil pollution and to formulate policy and management action plans for Chilika lagoon as well as for other similar ecosystems by local environmental agencies.

Air Quality during the COVID–19 Lockdown and Unlock Periods in India Analyzed Using Satellite and Ground-based Measurements

Abstract

A nationwide lockdown was imposed in India from 24 March 2020 to 31 May 2020 to contain the spread of COVID-19. The lockdown has changed the atmospheric pollution across the continents. Here, we analyze the changes in two most important air quality related trace gases, nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and tropospheric ozone (O₃) from satellite and surface observations, during the lockdown (April–May 2020) and unlock periods (June–September 2020) in India, to examine the baseline emissions when anthropogenic sources were significantly reduced. We use the Bayesian statistics to find the changes in these trace gas concentrations in different time periods. There is a strong reduction in NO₂ during the lockdown as public transport and industries were shut during that period. The largest changes are found in IGP (Indo-Gangetic Plain), and industrial and mining areas in Eastern India. The changes are small in the hilly regions, where the concentrations of these trace gases are also very small (0–1 × 10¹⁵ molec./cm²). In addition, a corresponding increase in the concentrations of tropospheric O₃ is observed during the period. The analyses over cities show that there is a large decrease in NO₂ in Delhi (36%), Bangalore (21%) and Ahmedabad (21%). As the lockdown restrictions were eased during the unlock period, the concentrations of NO₂ gradually increased and ozone deceased in most regions. Therefore, this study suggests that pollution control measures should be prioritized, ensuring strict regulations to control the source of anthropogenic pollutants, particularly from the transport and industrial sectors.

Highlights

• Most cities show a reduction up to 15% of NO₂ during the lockdown

• The unlock periods show again an increase of about 40–50% in NO₂

• An increase in tropospheric O₃ is observed together with the decrease in NO₂

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40710-022-00585-9.

Changes in Snacking Patterns during COVID-19 Lockdown in Adults from Mumbai City, India

Mumbai was one of the 1st cities in India to go into total lockdown in March 2020. The lockdown was expected to have an influence on eating habits specially the snacking patterns. The main objective of this study was to access the change in snacking patterns of participants living in Mumbai city, India during lockdown. Data was collected in 256 Mumbai residents (60 males, 196 females) using Google forms. Information regarding number of meals consumed, meals at which snacks were consumed, change in snacking pattern, reasons for increase or decrease in snacking, and type of snacks consumed during lockdown as compared to before lock was collected. Around 20% reported a decrease, 31% reported no change and 49% reported an increase in snack consumption during lockdown. Participants consumed higher number of meals during lockdown (p<0.05). Significantly higher percentage of participants did not consume store brought snacks during lockdown (30.9% vs 13.7%) (p<0.05). Significantly higher percentage of participants consumed snacks at mid-evening (50.4% vs 33.6%), late evening (48% vs 32%) and late night (32% vs 16.8%) during lockdown as compared to before lockdown (p<0.05). Significantly change in lemon-water (57.8% vs 43.4%), coffee (47.3% vs 40.6%) and carbonated beverages (14.8% vs 23.4%) was observed during lockdown as compared to before lockdown (p<0.05). Significant increase in nuts (74.2% vs 65.6%), instant noodles (69.5% vs 60.9%) and biscuits (78.5% vs 68%) was observed during lockdown as compared to before lockdown (p<0.05). Significant decrease in South Indian (61.75 vs 69.1%), Frankie (32.8% vs 51.6%), bhel (50.4% vs 69.1%), Chinese bhel (21.5% vs 35.5%) and usal (32% vs 40.2%) was observed during lockdown as compared to before lockdown (p<0.05). To conclude, snacks were consumed at more number of meals during lockdown in comparison to before lockdown. A change in type of snacks consumed was observed during lockdown. Ready and easy to eat snacks such as nuts, instant noodles and biscuits showed an increase whereas snacks that require elaborate cooking procedure showed a decrease in consumption. With partial lockdown still persisting in many parts of the country and many still working from home it is imperative to circulate more accurate information on appropriate snacking habits.

Poverty in India in the face of Covid-19: Diagnosis and prospects

India has been hard-hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. The virus has exacted a heavy toll in terms of lives lost and deteriorating health outcomes. The economic consequences of the pandemic have been similarly grim. In this paper we attempt an initial, interim, assessment of the impacts of the crisis on poverty. We review the growing literature that considers emerging poverty impacts, noting that there remain significant knowledge gaps due to limited evidence on current welfare outcomes. We analyze pre-Covid survey data to examine the incidence of chronic poverty and downward mobility during a period of rapid economic growth and declining poverty. A profile of poverty during such a period might offer a plausible, partial, window on population groups currently at risk. We suggest that, notwithstanding the severe initial impacts of the crisis on poverty, there are grounds for expecting further consequences going forward. As the virus has spread out of the relatively affluent cities, and as economic stagnation persists, rural areas, with historically higher rates of chronic poverty and vulnerability, may see particularly sharp increases in poverty. While recent vaccination developments offer some grounds for optimism, there remains an urgent need to identify, implement and amplify effective policy alleviation measures.

Socioeconomic determinants of COVID-19 in Asian countries: An empirical analysis

The spread of coronavirus disease, 2019, has affected several countries in the world including Asian countries. The occurrences of COVID infections are uneven across countries and the same is determined by socioeconomic situations prevailing in the countries besides the preparedness and management. The paper is an attempt to empirically examine the socioeconomic determinants of the occurrence of COVID in Asian countries considering the data as of June 18, 2020, for 42 Asian countries. A multiple regression analysis in a cross-sectional framework is specified and ordinary least square (OLS) technique with heteroscedasticity corrected robust standard error is employed to obtain regression coefficients. Explanatory variables that are highly collinear have been dropped from the analysis. The findings of the study show a positive significant association of per capita gross national income and net migration with the incidence of total COVID-19 cases and daily new cases. The size of net migration emerged to be a potential factor and positive in determining the total and new cases of COVID. Social capital as measured by voters' turnout ratio (VTR) in order to indicate the people's participation is found to be significant and negative for daily new cases per million population. People's participation has played a very important role in checking the incidence of COVID cases and its spread. In alternate models, countries having high incidence of poverty are also having higher cases of COVID. Though the countries having higher percentage of aged populations are more prone to be affected by the spread of virus, but the sign of the coefficient of this variable for Asian country is not in the expected line. Previous year health expenditure and diabetic prevalence rate are not significant in the analysis. Therefore, people-centric plan and making people more participatory and responsive in adhering to the social distancing norms in public and workplace and adopting preventive measures need to be focused on COVID management strategies. The countries having larger net migration and poverty ratio need to evolve comprehensive and inclusive strategies for testing, tracing, and massive awareness for sanitary practices, social distancing, and following government regulation for management of COVID-19, besides appropriate food security measures and free provision of sanitary kits for vulnerable section.

Lives and livelihoods: Estimates of the global mortality and poverty effects of the Covid-19 pandemic

We evaluate the global welfare consequences of increases in mortality and poverty generated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Increases in mortality are measured in terms of the number of years of life lost (LY) to the pandemic. Additional years spent in poverty (PY) are conservatively estimated using growth estimates for 2020 and two different scenarios for its distributional characteristics. Using years of life as a welfare metric yields a single parameter that captures the underlying trade-off between lives and livelihoods: how many PYs have the same welfare cost as one LY. Taking an agnostic view of this parameter, we compare estimates of LYs and PYs across countries for different scenarios. Three main findings arise. First, we estimate that, as of early June 2020, the pandemic (and the observed private and policy responses) had generated at least 68 million additional poverty years and 4.3 million years of life lost across 150 countries. The ratio of PYs to LYs is very large in most countries, suggesting that the poverty consequences of the crisis are of paramount importance. Second, this ratio declines systematically with GDP per capita: poverty accounts for a much greater share of the welfare costs in poorer countries. Finally, a comparison of these baseline results with mortality estimates in a counterfactual "herd immunity" scenario suggests that welfare losses would be greater in the latter in most countries.

Surgical Diseases Management during COVID-19 Crisis at a Tertiary Care Hospital of India: Our Institutional Strategy

Introduction  In response to the national coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, all hospitals and medical institutes gave priority to COVID-19 screening and to the management of patients who required hospitalization for COVID-19 infection. Surgical departments postponed all elective operative procedures and provided only essential surgical care to patients who presented with acute surgical conditions or suspected malignancy. Ample literature has emerged during this pandemic regarding the guidelines for safe surgical care. We report our experience during the lockdown period including the surgical procedures performed, the perioperative care provided, and the specific precautions implemented in response to the COVID-19 crisis. Materials and Methods  We extracted patient clinical data from the medical records of all surgical patients admitted to our tertiary care hospital between the March 24th, 2020 and May 31st, 2020. Data collected included: patient demographics, surgical diagnoses, surgical procedures, nonoperative management, and patient outcomes. Results  Seventy-seven patients were included in this report: 23 patients were managed medically, 28 patients underwent a radiologic intervention, and 23 patients required an operative procedure. In total eight of the 77 patients died due to ongoing sepsis, multiorgan failure, or advanced malignancy. Conclusion  During the COVID-19 lockdown period, our surgical team performed many lifesaving surgical procedures and appropriately selected cancer operations. We implemented and standardized essential perioperative measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19 infection. When the lockdown measures were phased out a large number of patients remained in need of delayed elective and semi-elective operative treatment. Hospitals, medical institutes, and surgical leadership must adjust their priorities, foster stewardship of limited surgical care resources, and rapidly implement effective strategies to assure perioperative safety for both patients and operating room staff during periods of crisis.

COVID-19 and Federalism in India: Capturing the Effects of State and Central Responses on Mobility

In response to the rapidly spreading COVID-19 pandemic, governments resorted to containment and closure measures to reduce population mobility and ensure social distancing. Initially, India's state governments enacted varying social-distancing policies until the Central government overrode states to impose a nationwide lockdown on 24th March. This paper examines the relative impact of state- and central-level social-distancing policies on changes in mobility, comparing the periods before and after the national lockdown. A district-level panel dataset is formed, compiling data on social-distancing policies and changes in population mobility patterns. Panel regressions reveal that the incremental effect of each social-distancing policy varied across states in the pre-24th March period. The national lockdown led to much larger, though varying, reductions in mobility across all states. Overall, states which were able to achieve higher compliance in terms of reducing mobility in the pre-lockdown phase performed better in the national lockdown.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1057/s41287-021-00463-4.

Exploring the Utility of Google Mobility Data During the COVID-19 Pandemic in India: Digital Epidemiological Analysis

Background

Association between human mobility and disease transmission has been established for COVID-19, but quantifying the levels of mobility over large geographical areas is difficult. Google has released Community Mobility Reports (CMRs) containing data about the movement of people, collated from mobile devices.

Objective

The aim of this study is to explore the use of CMRs to assess the role of mobility in spreading COVID-19 infection in India.

Methods

In this ecological study, we analyzed CMRs to determine human mobility between March and October 2020. The data were compared for the phases before the lockdown (between March 14 and 25, 2020), during lockdown (March 25-June 7, 2020), and after the lockdown (June 8-October 15, 2020) with the reference periods (ie, January 3-February 6, 2020). Another data set depicting the burden of COVID-19 as per various disease severity indicators was derived from a crowdsourced API. The relationship between the two data sets was investigated using the Kendall tau correlation to depict the correlation between mobility and disease severity.

Results

At the national level, mobility decreased from –38% to –77% for all areas but residential (which showed an increase of 24.6%) during the lockdown compared to the reference period. At the beginning of the unlock phase, the state of Sikkim (minimum cases: 7) with a –60% reduction in mobility depicted more mobility compared to –82% in Maharashtra (maximum cases: 1.59 million). Residential mobility was negatively correlated (–0.05 to –0.91) with all other measures of mobility. The magnitude of the correlations for intramobility indicators was comparatively low for the lockdown phase (correlation ≥0.5 for 12 indicators) compared to the other phases (correlation ≥0.5 for 45 and 18 indicators in the prelockdown and unlock phases, respectively). A high correlation coefficient between epidemiological and mobility indicators was observed for the lockdown and unlock phases compared to the prelockdown phase.

Conclusions

Mobile-based open-source mobility data can be used to assess the effectiveness of social distancing in mitigating disease spread. CMR data depicted an association between mobility and disease severity, and we suggest using this technique to supplement future COVID-19 surveillance.

Study of the trend pattern of COVID-19 using spline-based time series model: a Bayesian paradigm

A vast majority of the countries are under economic and health crises due to the current epidemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The present study analyzes the COVID-19 using time series, an essential gizmo for knowing the enlargement of infection and its changing behavior, especially the trending model. We consider an autoregressive model with a non-linear time trend component that approximately converts into the linear trend using the spline function. The spline function splits the series of COVID-19 into different piecewise segments between respective knots in the form of various growth stages and fits the linear time trend. First, we obtain the number of knots with their locations in the COVID-19 series to identify the transmission stages of COVID-19 infection. Then, the estimation of the model parameters is obtained under the Bayesian setup for the best-fitted model. The results advocate that the proposed model appropriately determines the location of knots based on different transmission stages and know the current transmission situation of the COVID-19 pandemic in a country.

Poverty and COVID-19 in Africa and Latin America

Since March 2020, governments have recommended or enacted lockdown policies to curb the spread of COVID-19. Yet, poorer segments of the population cannot afford to stay at home and must continue to work. In this paper, we test whether work-related mobility is effectively influenced by the local intensity of poverty. To do so, we exploit poverty data and Google mobility data for 242 regions of nine Latin American and African countries. We find that the drop in work-related mobility during the first lockdown period was indeed significantly lower in high-poverty regions compared to other regions. We also illustrate how higher poverty has induced a faster spread of the virus. The policy implication is that social protection measures in the form of food or cash trasfers must be complementary to physical distancing measures. Further research must evaluate how such transfers, when implemented, have attenuated the difference between poor and non-poor regions in terms of exposure to the virus.

Regional disparity of covid-19 infections: an investigation using state-level Indian data

Using the state-level panel data for India, we establish that Covid infections are clustered in more urbanized, and prosperous states. Poverty lowers cases showing evidence of herd immunity of poor which stands in sharp contrast with the developed part of the world. Our dynamic panel regression results indicate that Covid infections are persistent across states and unlocking has aggravated the infections. We also find that richer and more urbanised states with better health infrastructure and governance perform more tests. The policy lesson from this exercise is that the authorities should monitor immunization and Covid protocols in densely populated urban areas.

Where is my home?: Gendered precarity and the experience of COVID-19 among women migrant workers from Delhi and National Capital Region, India

With growing interest in the lives of individuals and communities during the COVID-19 pandemic, there is consensus among scholars, academicians, and policy makers that the pandemic has had unequal impacts on different sections of the society. The dominant idea that "we are in this together" needs to be critically unpacked to understand the differential impact of the same pandemic on people with varied vulnerabilities. The concept of "intersectional vulnerability" has been key to understanding the unequal distribution of the pandemic risk. Using a gendered intersectional lens, this paper aims to understand the lived experiences of migrant women workers during the pandemic and their narratives of gendered inequality. Through a narrative study in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR), India, from May to October 2020, this study brings out stories of precarity faced by five migrant women while battling the social, psychological, and economic effects of the pandemic. Loss of livelihood, home, savings, and prospects of a better future shape the narratives of these women. The pandemic exacerbated the already precarious positions of these women by creating a situation where-(a) patriarchal structures were further reinforced, and (b) losing gender solidarity and companionship through lockdown and social distancing.

Stepping up during a crisis: The unintended effects of a noncontributory pension program during the Covid-19 pandemic

We use a regression discontinuity design to study the impacts of a noncontributory pension program covering one-third of Bolivian households during the COVID-19 pandemic. Becoming eligible for the program during the crisis increased the probability that households had a week's worth of food stocked by 25% and decreased the probability of going hungry by 40%. Although the program was not designed to provide emergency assistance, it provided unintended positive impacts during the crisis. The program's effects on hunger were particularly large for households that lost their livelihoods during the crisis and for low-income households. The results suggest that, during a systemic crisis, a preexisting near-universal pension program can quickly deliver positive impacts in line with the primary goals of a social safety net composed of an income-targeted cash transfer and an unemployment insurance program.

Domestic violence during COVID-19 pandemic: The case for Indian women

Domestic violence is one of the most pernicious gendered ailments of human society. Researchers have confirmed the inevitable consequences of domestic violence (physical, sexual, and emotional) in increased vulnerability to psychopathologies in addition to physical morbidity. Domestic violence cases are vast in India, and the numbers are further aggravated at an alarming rate during the COVID‐19 pandemic. The present study aimed at exploring the cases of domestic violence among Indian women during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Newspapers reporting the incidents of domestic violence during the last 5 years were analysed to explore the issues related to the surge in domestic violence incidents during the COVID‐19 lockdown period. A major increase in domestic violence cases was observed during the COVID‐19 period as compared to the previous years. Also, the cases were higher during the initial phases of the pandemic but gradually decreased as time progressed.The impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on women was unprecedented and worse than before. Home containment as a measure to protect the health and well‐being of the general public has resulted in increased sufferings for women in terms of both sufferings from diseases and increased domestic violence.

The protracted exodus of migrants from Hyderabad in the time of COVID-19

The immediate aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic in India saw a mass movement of people, mainly from the cities and large towns to the villages. The lockdown announced by the government abruptly suspended the instrumental value of the city for the millions of migrant workers inhabiting these. As the lockdown period extended, with very uncertain means of inter-state public transport, desperate migrant workers took to the streets in large numbers undertaking arduous and often dangerous journeys to their places of origin. The media highlighting the plight of the migrants elicited responses from different sections. This paper is an exploration of the role of the state and its institutions, civil society and the judiciary in responding to the migrant crisis in the city of Hyderabad, a hub of migrant workers. Closely following the silences and pronouncements of the institutions and analysing the role of each of these over the different phases of the migrant crisis, the paper asserts the need for a closer scrutiny of the universal role of the state response during the migrant crisis.

Migration, externalities, and the diffusion of COVID-19 in South Asia☆

The initial spread of COVID-19 halted economic activity as countries around the world restricted the mobility of their citizens. As a result, many migrant workers returned home, spreading the virus across borders. We investigate the relationship between migrant movements and the spread of COVID-19 using district-day-level data from Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan (the 1st, 6th, and 7th largest sources of international migrant workers). We find that during the initial stage of the pandemic, a 1 SD increase in prior international out-migration relative to the district-wise average in India and Pakistan predicts a 48% increase in the number of cases per capita. In Bangladesh, however, the estimates are not statistically distinguishable from zero. Domestic out-migration predicts COVID-19 diffusion in India, but not in Bangladesh and Pakistan. In all three countries, the association of COVID-19 cases per capita and measures of international out-migration increases over time. The results show how migration data can be used to predict coronavirus hotspots. More broadly, the results are consistent with large cross-border negative externalities created by policies aimed at containing the spread of COVID-19 in migrant-receiving countries.

A short questionnaire to assess changes in lifestyle-related behaviour during COVID 19 pandemic

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

The lasting impact of COVID 19 pandemic and associated restrictions are bound to be significant on lifestyle-related behaviour including diet, physical activity and sleep which is one of the important components in the management of diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome. This study was conducted to develop and validate a questionnaire to assess changes in individual's lifestyle-related behaviour during COVID 19 pandemic.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The questionnaire was developed through a standardised methodology including literature review, focus group discussion, expert evaluation, pre-testing and validation. The face validity and content validity of the questionnaire were analysed. A cross-sectional survey was carried out on 103 participants to validate the questionnaire that used a 5-point Likert scale for the response option. Exploratory factor analysis was performed to establish construct validity. Cronbach's alpha was calculated to test the internal consistency of the whole questionnaire.

RESULTS

A questionnaire with 20 items to assess the lifestyle-related behaviour of people was developed. The questionnaire shows a satisfactory validity and a good internal consistency with the Cronbach's alpha value of 0.72.

CONCLUSION

The developed tool is valid and reliable to assess the changes in lifestyle-related behaviour of individuals during COVID 19 pandemic.

Manufactured Maladies: Lives and Livelihoods of Migrant Workers During COVID-19 Lockdown in India

The 68 days of lockdown in India, as a measure to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, resulted in an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, unlike any other in the world. In the first half of the lockdown, migrant workers were stranded with no food and money with severe restrictions on movement when a mass exodus of workers back to their hometowns and villages began. In the second half, the workers' woes were compounded with a series of chaotic travel orders and gross mismanagement of the repatriation process. In this article, we draw on the work of Stranded Workers Action Network (SWAN) with more analysis and perspective. SWAN was a spontaneous relief effort that emerged soon after the lockdown was announced in March 2020. In addition to providing relief, SWAN concurrently documented the experiences of over 36,000 workers through the lockdown. We highlight the inadequacy of the government and judicial response to the migrant worker crisis. We present quantitative data elaborating the profile of workers that reached out to SWAN, the extent of hunger, loss of livelihoods and income. We also present qualitative insights based on interactions with workers and discuss multiple, non-exhaustive, dimensions of vulnerability to which migrant workers were exposed.