One Week Into The Lockdown, Migrant Workers Are Still Struggling To Get Home

Unprecedented scenes have been witnessed across India in the past few days following the Covid-19 outbreak. When PM Modi announced a nationwide shutdown till the 14th of April to combat the spread of Covid-19, he had specifically said that people should not move around and should remain where they are. However, thousands of migrant workers who come from across the country - who used to work as daily wage workers or were employed in factories that have now been shut - got stuck in a difficult situation. With no source of income and lack of food, they seemingly had no other option but to go home. Since there are no buses available to ferry them to their villages, they are being forced to walk hundreds of kilometres to get home. Almost a week into the shut down, thousands are still stranded.