When India began a nationwide lockdown in March, the truth of the coronavirus was just beginning to take hold. As the lockdown continued, others in India leaned into a vacuum of uncertainty.
For the next two months, New Delhi’s once-bustling streets were deserted, businesses closed, and a general atmosphere of worry gripped the country as life changed.
Before the lockdown, 28-year-old Arif [not his real name] and his friends played football every week. For Arif, a former national player on the wing, the great game of his life and confinement took him away from the court.
Read more: Coronavirus: Is India on the verge of ‘herd immunity’?
So in mid-June, just days after restrictions were relaxed, Arif and his friends resumed their weekly matches, even with the capital being one of India’s hardest-hit cities.
Arif and his thirteen-man team now meet every weekend, just as they did before the pandemic.
“Everyone comes to the box wearing masks, but they take them off before the game,” Aarif said. “Of course, social distancing is not imaginable at all times and other people come into close contact during the game,” he added.
“There is a point of trust between the other people who come to play. We accept it as true that other people don’t come if they don’t feel well or have symptoms of COVID-19,” he said.
Breaking the rules?
The official number of COVID-19 cases in India has risen from 691 at the start of the lockdown to more than 1. 5 million in four months as more people have let their guard down. Recently, the country experienced record levels in a single day. week after week.
Read more: India reports record coronavirus cases
Aarif’s organization is rarely the only one to flout social distancing rules. Since the blockade was lifted on June 8, Delhi police have fined another 66,181 people for not wearing a mask and another 10,316 for not moving.
According to Delhi police data, a total of €453,120 ($529,605) in fines have been collected.
Law enforcement officials in the southern Indian city of Bengaluru reported figures. Almost 47,000 more people were fined more than 100,000 euros in the first 30 days of the so-called unlocking phase in India.
In his June speech, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned that he opposed “negligence” since restrictions were eased.
“We were negligent. We maintained social distancing and wore masks when the lockdown was implemented,” Modi said. “But today, when we want those things more than anything, we haven’t followed those protocols. “
Modi’s government has also come under scrutiny after ruling members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were caught violating social distancing rules for more than two months.
Does religion triumph over science?
Religion and spirituality are an integral component of the lives of many Indians. Some other people hope that accepting as truth in God and faith will protect them from the coronavirus and consider measures like the face mask unnecessary. Others continue to stop at devout sites for worship and socialization, prompting fitness governance considerations about possible new access points.
Read more: Coronavirus: 57% of Mumbai slum dwellers had the virus
The Tirumala Tirupati temple in Andhra Pradesh state, listed as one of the richest and most visited centers in the world, has faced mounting pressure to limit pilgrim access or close it altogether after a recent surge in coronavirus cases.
“About 9,000 to 10,000 pilgrims have been coming to the temple every day since it reopened,” a BJP member and former BJP player who runs the temple told DW.
Since the temple reopened to pilgrims in June, 167 temples and 17 priests have tested positive for COVID-19. In July, a former senior priest at the temple died of coronavirus-like headaches.
“Temple officials are taking any and all precautions for workers and worshippers,” Reddy said. “We have handed out personal protective equipment to staff, and all pilgrims must wear masks before entering the temple. “
Reddy said that while he was in favor of finishing the temple for pilgrims, he wanted the daily rituals to continue.
“For the Lord, we will have to do the rituals. This has been going on for thousands of years. Rituals are mandatory,” he said, adding that all priests who test positive recover.
Reddy wrote to the state government, a restriction of transience on the entry of pilgrims is not easy. But the temple refused to close, prompting outrage over the health risks.
Read more: Why does India reject COVID-19 transmission?
Life-size weddings
Since restrictions were relaxed, wedding ceremonies are also allowed for up to 50 visitors, but with social distancing measures. However, according to local media, coronavirus regulations have been violated.
After a video of a giant wedding procession in Odisha state went viral on social media in June, the government arrested the boyfriend and father and fined other relatives.
For Mumbai resident Aparna, those violations stem from the environment of the virus and how it spreads.
She recently clashed with a friend on social media after attending a wedding in Rajasthan with between 150 and 200 guests.
When she asked him why no one at the wedding wore a mask or followed social distancing rules, his answer surprised her, as it opposes clinical consensus and the recommendation of public fitness officials.
“Masks are absolutely useless. The virus is only transmitted through touch. If you wear gloves and wash your hands at normal intervals, you’ll be fine,” he said, adding, “Wearing a mask is simply optional. “
On Friday, India’s Ministry of Health reported 55,079 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing India’s total to 1,638,871. The ministry recorded 779 deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 35,747.