A STUDY OF IMPACT OF COVID19 ON PEOPLE AT

BANGALORE

A Project-report submitted in partial fulfilment to Maharani

Cluster University for the Award of the Degree of B.com

By
NETRAVATHI
(C1900429)

Under the guidance of

RAMYA.B.M
(M.COM, B. ED, KSET)
in

School of commerce and Management

Maharani Cluster University
Seshadri Road, Bangalore- 560001

June 2022

A STUDY OF COVID-19 MAHARANI CLUSTER UNIVERSITY

 DECLARATION BY THE STUDENT

DECLARATION BY THE STUDENT I hereby declare that “ A STUDY

OF COVID -19 AT BANGALORE” is the project work carried out by
me under the guidance of PROF, RAMYA.B.M MAM in partial
fulfilment for the award of Bachelor of Commerce by Maharani
Cluster University.

I Hereby declare that the Internship report submitted to Maharani

Cluster University is a record of original and independent study
undertaken by me.

I hereby declare that the project was carried out in accordance with
the regulations of university. It is original and is the results of my
own work and has not been submitted to any other university or
institute for the award of any degree or qualification

Place: Name: Netravathi

Reg: C1900429
DATE:

A STUDY OF COVID-19 MAHARANI CLUSTER UNIVERSITY

 ACKNOWLEDGMENT

I take this opportunity to express my gratitude to PRINCIPAL

Maharani Cluster University to permitting me to undertake my
project entitled A STUDY OF IMPACT OF COVID 19 ON PEOPLE AT
BANGALORE.

I am thankful to our HOD RAMACHANDRA CO-ORDINATOR And

guide Ramya.B.M for the encouragement and guiding me by offering
suggestions and also making useful comments during the entire
course of my study. I also thank all the Faculty members of the
department, for their help and support.

I Finally thank my family members and who have helped me to

successfully complete this project report.

NETRAVATHI

A STUDY OF COVID-19 MAHARANI CLUSTER UNIVERSITY

 GUIDE CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the Project Report “A STADY

OF COVID-19submitted by NETRAVATHI (C1900429) to school of
Commerce, Maharani Cluster University Bengaluru for the Award of
Degree of Bachelor Degree in Commerce is record of work carried out
by (Student Name) under my guidance.

• Place:

• Date: Signature of Project Guide

A STUDY OF COVID-19 MAHARANI CLUSTER UNIVERSITY

 Certificate of Originality

this is to certify that the project report

entitled
“A STADY OF COVID-19” is a original work of NETRAVATHI bearing
university Register Number and is being submitted in partial
fulfilment for the award of the Bachelor Degree in Commerce of
Maharani Cluster University.
The report has not been submitted earlier either to this
University/Institution for the fulfilment of the requirement of any
course of study. Netravathi is guided by Prof Ramya B.M who is the
faculty Guide as per the regulations of Maharani Cluster University.

B.com
Guide Name Co Ordinator Chairperson
Prof.RAMYA.B.M Dr.UMA T.G Commerce
[M.COM, MBA, M Phil, Ph.D.] Prof. kushala

Director
Dr. Ramachandra. K
Principal
Dr. Prakash

School of commerce and management

A STUDY OF COVID-19 MAHARANI CLUSTER UNIVERSITY

 o Table of Contents

• Chapter - 01 • Introduction of about the COVID-19

• Chapter - 02 • Design of the study
• Objectives
• Scope
• Chapter -03 • Profile the Respondents
• Chapter -04 • Analysis and Interpretation of data
• Chapter -05 • Findings, conclusions and
suggestions
• •
• Bibliography

A STUDY OF COVID-19 MAHARANI CLUSTER UNIVERSITY

 CHAPTER- 01
INTODUCTION

• Introduction to covid-19 (corona virus)

• Covid-19 is scientific name the corona virus. It is an infectious

disease. This is a new virus and it spread ratio is very fast. COVID-
19 was First identified in December 2019 in Wuhan city of China.
But now it has spread to almost all countries of the world Health
Organisation (WHO) declared the COVID-19 outbreak a Pandemic.

• SYMPTOMS :-
• The most common symptoms of corona virus are fever, cough and
shortness of breath. Some patients may have aches and pains,
throat congestion, runny nose and sore throat. Most people recover
from the disease without needing special treatment. Older people
and those with underlying medical problems like high blood
pressure, heart problems or diabetes are more likely to develop
serious Illness.

A STUDY OF COVID-19 MAHARANI CLUSTER UNIVERSITY

 • How does COVID- 19 spread between people

• We know that the disease is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus,

which spreads between people in several different ways.

• Current evidence suggests that the virus spreads mainly between

people who are close contact with each other, for example at a
conversational distance. The virus can spread from an infected
person’s mouth or nose in small liquid particles when they cough,
sneeze, speak, sing or breath. Another person can then contract
the virus when infectious particles that pass through the air are
inhaled at short range (is often called short-range aerosol or short -
range airborne transmission) or if infectious particles come into
direct contact with the eyes, nose, or mouth (droplet transmission).
o People may also become infected when touching their eyes,
Nose or mouth after touching surfaces or objects that have
been contaminated by the virus.
• The virus can also spread in poorly ventilated and crowded places
Where people tend to spend longer periods of time. This is because
aerosols can remain suspended in the air or travel farther than
conversational distance.

• How to reduce risk of getting COVID-19

• There are many things we can do keep ourselves and loved ones
safe from corona virus.
• Following are the basic precautions to avoid covid-19
• Follow the Govt rules and regulations regarding COVIDN-19.
o What the local bodies are advising so we have the most
relevant information for where we are.

• Avoid crowded places, poorly ventilated, indoor locations and avoid

prolonged contact with others. Spend more time outdoors.

A STUDY OF COVID-19 MAHARANI CLUSTER UNIVERSITY

 Wear a mask: Wear a well-
fitting three-layer mask, especially when
you can’t physically distance, or if you’re
indoors. Clean your hands before putting
on and taking off a mask.

• Keep maintain distance: -Stay at

least 1 mtr away from others, even if
they don’t have a covid -19

• Avoid touching surfaces,

especially in public settings
or health facilities, in case
people infected with COVID-
19 have touched them.
Clean surfaces regularly
with standard disinfectants.

• Avoid crowded places,

poorly ventilated, indoor
locations and avoid
prolonged contact with
others. Spend more time
outdoors than indoors.
Frequently clean our hands
with soap and water, or an
alcohol-based hand rub. If you can, carry alcohol-based rub with
you and use it often.

• Cover our coughs and sneezes with a bent elbow or tissue,

throwing used tissues into a closed bin right away. Then wash
hands or use an alcohol-based hand rub.

A STUDY OF COVID-19 MAHARANI CLUSTER UNIVERSITY

 • Get vaccinated: When it’s our turn, get vaccinated. Follow local
guidance and recommendations about vaccination.

o Scientist are doing further research on this virus and how it

spreads which settings are most risky and why. Research is
also under way to study virus variants that are emerging and
why some are more transmissible
• Problems faced during the corona pandemics: -

• The biggest
challenge in
India’s fight
against COVID-
19 is the
population,
with a
population
density that is
almost 3 times
of china. The
scenario is
potentially
worse in urban slums where the population density may exceed
more than 250000/km2 making social distancing impossible.

A STUDY OF COVID-19 MAHARANI CLUSTER UNIVERSITY

 • In the first wave of COVID -19. The Govt of India announced
Lockdown all over the India in the month of march of 25 in 2020 to
31 may 2020 After 21 days of lockdown COVID cases are
decreased. But later cases are gradually increased in the first wave
people have suffered lot they lost their jobs. Many software
industries are declined and most of the business were closed
because of this corona. Some people were back to their home place,
for going their village many people suffer because there are no
buses, no trains and no vehicles. Many people back to their village
by walking.

• During the LOCKDOWN period people may not allowed to go out

the home. Govt was fixed the time for buying their vegetables, milk,
groceries and other basic things.
o Problems or impact of COVID-19 on Economic, political
and social sectors
• It Has been two years since the C0VID-19 penetrated the deepest
core of human civilization and made us realize the power of mother
nature. The outbreak of the corona virus (COVID-19) that has
began China.
• The impact of pandemic COVID-19 is observed in every sector
around the world such as the economy, society, politics, Retail
sector, tourism industry, education etc.

• Economy Impact:
• The COVID-19 pandemic has disputed the global economy and the
economic impact of the largely disruptive. India’s growth in the
A STUDY OF COVID-19 MAHARANI CLUSTER UNIVERSITY
 fourth quarter of the fiscal year 2020 went down to 3.1% according
to the Ministry of statistics. On May 31 the Indian government
released the data for GDP that during the financial year 2020-21,
GDP contracted by 7.3%. It is the most severe contraction from the
time India got its independence. The reasons behind this trajectory
are obvious lockdown leading to the closing of business units,
increasing unemployment rate and a significant decline in
domestic consumption.
• The coronavirus pandemic also impacts export and imports. India’s
exports in April 2020 fell by-36.65% on year, while imports in April
2020 fell by -47.36% as compared to April 2019. This results it
affect on Indian economy.
• From April to June 2020, India’s GDP dropped As India gradually
becomes the global hotspot for COVID-19, the gross domestic
product for the first quarter ended June of FY 2020-21, released on
Monday, 31 August, dropped 23.9%, revealing the extent of
damage the pandemic has caused to the country’s economy.

A STUDY OF COVID-19 MAHARANI CLUSTER UNIVERSITY

 • With economic activities almost brought to a standstill due to the
nationwide lockdown to curb COVID-19, most sectors like
manufacturing and construction received a heavy dent.
• Agriculture, on the other hand, offered some respite, having
advanced 3.4 percent in the first quarter.

• Here is the sector-wise breakdown:

• Asia’s third largest economy saw the steepest fall in GDP first time
in four decades. If the negative growth rate continues for a second
quarter in July-September, India will reel from recession.
• On a sequential basis, the quarterly growth rate has progressively
declined from 5.2 per cent in Q1 of 2019-20 to 4.4 percent in Q2,
4.1 percent in Q3 and 3.1 percent in the last quarter of 2019-20.
• The Gross Value Added (GVA) stood at -22.8 percent as against the
estimates of -19.2 percent.

• ‘GDP Decline Due to Lockdown’: Chief Economic Advisor

• Chief Economic Advisor KV Subramanian told reporters, “April-
June quarter economic performance is primarily due to exogenous
shock felt globally due to COVID-19 which resulted in global
lockdown in April to June quarter. Even India was in lockdown in
the first quarter.”
• Highlighting on the indicators like the core sector growth which
has experienced slower rate of decline since April, CEA said India
is witnessing a V-shaped recovery, reported NDTV.
• "Core sector growth which had declined by 38 percent in April has
progressively reduced to 22 percent in May, 13 percent in June
and 9.6 percent in July 2020. Core sector output is clearly showing
a V- shaped recovery," Subramanian said.
• During the GST council briefing on 27 August, the finance minister
had referred to the coronavirus outbreak as an ‘act of God’ which
may lead to a contraction of the economy in the current fiscal.

• Expenditure Trends
• India's private final consumption expenditure, the indicator for
household spending, fell 26.7%. Investments indicated by Gross

A STUDY OF COVID-19 MAHARANI CLUSTER UNIVERSITY

 Fixed Capital formation dropped 47.1%, while Government Final
Consumption Expenditure rose 16.4%.

• Experts React
• Speaking to BloombergQuint, Pronab Sen, former chief statistician
of India, said the first round of revisions would take place when
data from the Ministry of Company Affairs data is included. The
quarterly projections are mainly based on corporate data of listed
corporates, and not the smallest companies. He added that the
steep contraction in the first quarter means that the full year
contraction could be worse than the -5 percent estimated by a
number of economists.
• Commenting on the numbers, Dr Sangita Reddy, President, FICCI
said, “The sharp plunge in quarter-1 GDP growth java script: void
(0) numbers was anticipated. However, the magnitude of the
contraction has indeed come as a surprise. This only highlights the
urgent need to take immediate measures to bolster demand in the
economy and we hope government and RBI will plan for the next
set of fiscal and monetary measures and make these
announcements soon.”
• She also added that the government should consider a temporary
reduction in GST rates, especially in the consumer durables
segment. “Greater impetus to housing, infrastructure and auto
sectors and support to state governments for purchase of buses for
city transportation must also be considered,” Dr Reddy said.
• Sakshi Gupta, senior economist at HDFC Bank Gurugram
told Reuters, “Hopes of an economic recovery in the second half of
the year have been pinned on a rural sector revival. However, with
the virus spreading to the hinterland, the rural support might be
lower than expected.”
• Social sector:
• The coronavirus pandemic also Impact on tourism sector. Due to
COVID-19 movement of people were restricted and hence tourism
industry is facing huge losses. Tourists spend money in the
countries they visit, so the loss of this money is affecting the
economies of many countries. Overall, the economic contraction of
this corona period is challenging for the whole world, in such a
situation, so that we can get out of the economic situation and
move towards positive growth.

A STUDY OF COVID-19 MAHARANI CLUSTER UNIVERSITY

 • To enforce social distancing business where people gather have
been forced to close major companies in India temporarily
suspended or significant reduced operations. The entertainment
industry consisting of movies, theatres, sports centre concerns etc.
are reeling under these constraints.
o Another sector that has been affected more is the service
industry including restaurants, beauty parlours, spas, barber
shops etc. The stock market has crashed and plenty of large
and small business had failed to survive.
o The tourism places, Bars, Hotels, Transportation and
Industries were totally shut down as per the lockdown policy
because of which government has been suffering a huge
economic loss many people will come under poverty live due
to this global crisis. The rate of unemployment will increase
rapidly due to deadly virus. So we can say the overall
economic system has deteriorated due to this pandemic.
• The covid-19 pandemic has impacted politics both International
and domestic, by affecting the governing & political systems of
multiple countries, causing suspensions of legislative activities,
isolation or death of multiple politicians and rescheduling of
elections due to fears of spreading the virus.
• Political Impact:
▪ Because of this global pandemic the govt is facing
several criticisms from the people as well as leaders of
opposition party. COVID-19 pandemic put govt across
the world under pressure to react quick and decisively.
This pandemic has affected all segments of society
COVID-19 has created a global health crisis where
countless people are dying, human suffering is
spreading and people’s lives are being upended. People
with no home or shelter such as refugees, migrants or
displaced persons will suffer disproportionately both
during the pandemic and its aftermath.

o The social crisis created by the COVID-19 pandemic may also

increase inequality, discrimination and medium- and long-

A STUDY OF COVID-19 MAHARANI CLUSTER UNIVERSITY

 o term unemployment if not property addressed by appropriate
policies. Children being out of school as there will be impact
on their listening capacity. With any pandemic or any
situation which impact the society at large comes the problem
of psychological trauma. The lockdown has proved that “Man
is a social being” because continuous lockdown for long time
have impacted people psychologically and the burden has
been faced by women & children in the form of domestic
violence.
o In the lockdown period, multiple calls have been received on
the helpline numbers made for the people going through
domestic violence. The pandemic has affected educational
systems worldwide, leading to the widespread closures of
schools & universities. Many schools started their classed by
e-leaning some of their finding shows that there is an
increased concern of mental health of students.
• Religious Impact:
o The pandemic has impacted religion in various ways,
including the cancellation of the worship services of various
faiths, the closure of Sunday school, as well as the
cancellation of pilgrimages surrounding observances and
festivals. Many churches, mosques, and temples have offered
worship through livestream.

• COVID – 19 VARIANTS

• COVID-19, is that it is changing constantly. Since beginning of the

pandemic, we’ve seen a number of prominent variants, including
Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron.

• Although new variants are an expected part of the evolution of

viruses, monitoring each one that surfaces is essential in ensuring
we- in the U.S. and globally true if a new variant is more
aggressive, highly transmissible, vaccine-resistant, able to cause

A STUDY OF COVID-19 MAHARANI CLUSTER UNIVERSITY

 more server disease-or all of the above, compared with the original
strain of the virus.

• Below is the list of -and information about – some of the variants

that have been top-of-mind.

• OMICRON AND BA.2

There’s still a lot to learn about
Omicron (BA.1) and its
subvariants. BA.2 surpassed
the original Omicron Strain in
March to become the
predominant in the U.S. in
May,

• It was first found at

Botswana and South
Africa in late November
2021, Cases quickly began to surface and multiply in other
countries. Omicron infections to be milder than previous variants.

• Delta

A STUDY OF COVID-19 MAHARANI CLUSTER UNIVERSITY

 • Delta (B.1,617.2) was first identified in India In late 2020; it soon
spread throughout the world, becoming what was the predominant
version of the coronavirus- until Omicron took its place in mid-
December.
• It’s estimated that Delta Caused more than twice as many
infections as previous variants-in Connecticut

• Beta

This Variant, or B.1.351, was

identified in South Africa at
the end of 2020 spread to
other countries. Experts had
been concerned about its
several mutations and its
potential to evade antibodies.
Beta was not common in the
Other Countries. CDC said
Beta was about 50% more
contagious than the original
coronavirus strain. There was
evidence to suggest that Beta may
have been more likely than other
variants to lead to hospitalization
and death.

• Alpha
o Alpha (B.1.1.7) was the first of the highly publicized variants.
Alpha first appeared in Great Britain in November 2020 and
infections surged in December of that year.

A STUDY OF COVID-19 MAHARANI CLUSTER UNIVERSITY

 • It soon surfaced around the world and became the dominant
variant in the U.S. where the CDC Classified it as a variant of
concern. Then, Alpha faded away with the rise of the more
aggressive Delta variant.

A STUDY OF COVID-19 MAHARANI CLUSTER UNIVERSITY

 CHAPTER – 02
DESIGN OF THE STUDY

o TITLE OF THE PROJECT

• “A STUDY OF IMPACT OF COVID -19 ON VARIOUS SECTORS AT
BANGALORE”

o OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

• To quantify hospital-based outcomes and deaths, including in

relation to sociodemographic characteristics and comorbidities as
ascertained from hospital and general practice data.

• To find out the how many cases are present in the country. And
increase the testing and giving the vaccination.

• To improve the immunity power in the People.

• To ensure early identification of cases among people in order to

control the covid-19.

o Important terms used

• Covid-19 or
• Corona virus
• Lockdown
• Seal down
• Vaccine

▪ Sources of secondary Data

• Internet
• Books
• News channels
• Magazines
A STUDY OF COVID-19 MAHARANI CLUSTER UNIVERSITY
 • News paper
• Articles
• Reports

o Reference period
• The study period was from 20-05-2022 to 20-06-2022

CHAPTER - 03
• Profile of the Respondents

• Age of • Gender • Educational • Occupation

Respond qualification
ent

• 45 • Male • 7th • Painter

• 40 • Female • Uneducated • House wife
• 25 • Male • 10th • Contractor
• 20 • Female • Degree • Perusing
• 26 • Female • 10th • House wife
• 45 • Male • 5th • Auto driver
• 40 • Male • 10th • Sales man

• 28 • Female • Uneducated • Vegetable

seller
• 46 • Male • PUC • Shop keeper

A STUDY OF COVID-19 MAHARANI CLUSTER UNIVERSITY

 Chapter -04
ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA

Coronavirus deceases 2019 is considered as the most dreaded

that has spread all over the world in the recent past. Despite its
outbreak in December 2019 January 2020, a few continents and
countries such as India started to experience a significant number
of COVID-19-Positive cases from March 2020.

GISID clade variation analysis in the period March 2020-

February 2021 (period I ) and March 2021- first week of April 2021
(Period II) showed a rapid variation of SARS- C0V-2 in all
continents and India over time. Studying the relationship of patient
age or gender with viral clades in these two periods revealed that
the population under 10 years of age was the least affected,
whereas the 11-60 years old population was the most affected,
irrespective of patient gender and ethnicity. But the scenario
unexpectedly changed in the second wave, when even over
4,00,000 confirmed cases/ day were reported. Lineage analysis in
India showed the emergence of new SARS-COV-2 variants, i.e..,
A STUDY OF COVID-19 MAHARANI CLUSTER UNIVERSITY
 B.1.617.2, during April -May 2021, which might be one of the key
reasons for end the sudden upsurge of confirmed cases/day.
Furthermore, the emergence of new variants, new variants
contributed to the shift in infection spread by the G clade of SARS-
Co-2 from 46% in period II to 82.34% by the end of the May 2021.
Along with the Management of the emergence of new variants, few
factors viz.., lockdown and vaccination were also accountable for
controlling the upsurge of new COVID-19 cases thought the
country.

o India introduced vaccine for coronavirus such as COVAXIN

AND COVISHILD…..

▪ COVAXIN is India’s Indigenous COVID-19 vaccine by

Bharath Biotech is developed in collaboration with the
Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)- National
Institute of Virology (NIV).

A STUDY OF COVID-19 MAHARANI CLUSTER UNIVERSITY

 • COVISHIELDTM (manufactured by Serum Institute of India Pvt
Ltd) and COVID-19 vaccine AstraZeneca (manufactured by
AstraZeneca) are ChAdoX1 nCoV-19 corona Virus vaccines
(Recombinant).
o 66.3% of the world population has received at least one dose
of a COVID-19 vaccine. 11.94 billion dose have been
administered each day. Only 17.8% of people in low-income
countries have received at least one dose.

o The International Labour Organization in its report describes

the coronavirus pandemic as ‘the worst global crisis since
World War II’. About 400 million people (76.2% of the total
workforce) working in the informal economy in India are at a
risk of falling deeper into poverty due to catastrophic
consequences of the virus. As half of the world is in lockdown,
it is going to be a loss of 195 million full-time jobs or 6.7 per
cent of working hours globally. Many are in low-paid, low-
skilled jobs where sudden loss of income is catastrophic
(International Labour Organisation, 2020). Seasonal
migration of labour for work is a pervasive reality in rural
India. A migration of millions of people happens from rural
areas to industries, urban markets and farms. Major
migration corridors in India are from UP and Bihar, to
Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra and Gujarat. Newer corridors
from Odisha, West Bengal and North East to Karnataka and
Andhra Pradesh, from Rajasthan to Gujarat, from MP to
Gujarat and Maharashtra and from Tamil Nadu to Kerala are
also being created. These migrant workers are employed in
the construction sector (40 million), domestic work (20
million), textile (11 million), brick kiln work (10 million),
transportation, mining and agriculture (IIPS, 2001). During
lockdown, 92.5 per cent of labourers have lost 1 to 4 weeks of
work. A survey done by Jan Sahas, of 3196 migrant workers
across northern and central India, between 27 March and 29
March, reveals that 80 per cent of migrant workers feared
that they will run out of food before lockdown ends on 14
April and will not get their job back thereafter (Figure 1). The
A STUDY OF COVID-19 MAHARANI CLUSTER UNIVERSITY
 survey revealed that 55 per cent of migrant workers get a
daily wage between `200 and `400, and 39 per cent of the
workers get it between `400 and `600, which is below
minimum wage rate. Only 4 per cent of the workers get `600
and above, which is close to minimum wage rate. They work
in exploitative conditions, are often under debt and have little
savings of their own. About 49.2 per cent of these workers in
the survey said that they did not have ration and 39.4 per
cent said that they had ration which would last about 2
weeks.

A STUDY OF COVID-19 MAHARANI CLUSTER UNIVERSITY

 CHAPTER-05
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSION AND
SUGGESTIONS

• The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has already affected over

6.9 million people, claiming more than 400 000 lives in over 200
nations all over the world. As on June 9, 2020, most of the cases
were reported from the United States of America, Brazil, and
Russia. While some nations (like China and South Korea) have
successfully been able to flatten the pandemic curve, other nations
are finding it difficult to achieve the same. In the absence of any
definite therapy against COVID-19, the resilience of the health care
infrastructure and health professionals is being put to test. The
novel coronavirus disease has also infiltrated into India; hitherto
over 250 000 cases have been reported from the country. With a
population of more than 1.3 billion people, India could become the
new epicenter of COVID-19. Due to the remarkable population
density, poor socioeconomic conditions and health care resources,
the World Health Organization (WHO) recently stated that the
“future of the pandemic will depend on how India handles it.”1
Here, we have presented a summary of the present scenario of
COVID-19 in India, the country’s response and major challenges
that lie in the road ahead

Present Scenario of COVID-19 in India

The first case of COVID-19 in India was reported on January 30,
2020; the index patient was a student who had returned from Wuhan.
Thereafter, only 2 more cases were reported in February. Subsequently,
more cases came to the forefront in the month of March and there has
been a surge in the number of cases since the latter half of April 2020
(Figure 1). As of June 9, 2020, according to the Ministry of Health and
Family Welfare (MoHFW), a total of 266 598 confirmed COVID-19 cases
have been reported from 32 states/union territories.2 Most of the cases
have been reported from the states of Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Delhi,
and Gujarat. Hitherto, the Mohawk have reported 7471 deaths due to
COVID-19, translating into a case-fatality rate of 2.8%.
A STUDY OF COVID-19 MAHARANI CLUSTER UNIVERSITY
 India’s Response to COVID-19
India has promptly responded to the novel threat. International
borders have been shut and nationwide lockdown has been imposed
since March 25. As per the Oxford COVID-19 Government Response
Tracker, India’s response has been rated as one of the most stringent in
the world, exceeding the United States, Germany, France, Italy, and the
United Kingdom.6 In the absence of containment and timely lockdown,
India would have had 820 000 cases by April 15.7 on the contrary, the
reported number of COVID-19 cases in India as of April 15 was 11 438
(Figure 1), thereby preventing more than 800 000 cases. The ICMR had
earlier predicted that strict social distancing would reduce the total
number of cases by 62% and the peak number of cases by 89%.8
Similarly, Chatterjee et al,9 using a stochastic mathematical model had
predicted that uninterrupted spread of COVID-19 would have led to 3
million cases by May 25; in reality there had been 138 845 cases as on
May 25. The COVID-19 testing rates in India have markedly increased
from 0.02/1000 people in late March to 3.28/1000 people as of June
7.10 As of June 9, 2020, 4 916 116 samples have been tested for
COVID-19.11 In addition to the conventional real-time polymerase chain
reaction (RT-PCR), the ICMR has advocated the use of other screening
tests like True Nat and Cartridge-Based Nucleic Acid Amplification Test
(CBNAAT) using Cepheid Expert Xpress SARS-CoV-2.12,13 Till date, 17
RT-PCR kits have been validated and approved for use in India by the
ICMR.14 Rapid antibody test kits are also being used for surveillance
purpose. Testing has been scaled up through 553 government and 231
private laboratories all over the country.15 The strategy for COVID-19
testing has been expanded so as to include all those with symptomatic
influenza-like illness.16 The increased number of tests could have partly
contributed to the recent upsurge in the number of cases. In addition,
the Government has established over 600 COVID-19 dedicated facilities
all over India; as a backup, the Indian Railways have converted 375
coaches into isolation wards. All efforts are being made to increase
awareness about COVID-19 and its prevention via print, broadcast, and
social media. Challenges That Lie in the Road Ahead The biggest
challenge in India’s fight against COVID-19 is the population, with a
population density that is almost 3 times that of China. The scenario is
potentially worse in urban slums where the population density may
exceed more than 250 000/km2, making social distancing impossible.
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As many as 140 million people in India are migrant daily-wage laborers;
with imposition of nationwide lockdown, they are being forced to flock
back to their villages without being able to abide by government
advisories of social distancing.17 Unfortunately, another major hurdle
in India’s struggle against COVID-19 has been the attitude and action of
some of the citizens; there have been occasional reports of civilians
hiding travel history in an attempt to escape quarantine and people
participating in otherwise forbidden massive religious gatherings.17,18
Although the health care infrastructure has been urgently strengthened
and nearly 2000 dedicated COVID-19 facilities have been amassed all
over the country over a short period of time,19 the dearth of doctors
cannot be made up overnight. India has just 0.8 doctors per 1000
population as against Italy’s 4.1, China’s 1.8, Spain’s 4.1, Iran’s 1.1 and
the United States’ 2.6.20 In addition, the eastern states of West Bengal
and Odisha have recently been hit by a super cyclone named Amphan
that have wreaked havoc in the 2 states. People stranded homeless by
the natural calamity have been rescued and placed in cyclone shelters
where social distancing is practically not possible.28

Conclusions
India is presently witnessing a rapid surge in the number of
COVID-19 cases. Although the nationwide lockdown has been able to
decelerate the spread, the country’s ever-increasing population,
remarkably high population density and poor socioeconomic conditions
are major barriers in India’s battle against COVID-19. However, the
overall low case-fatality rate is reassuring. The Government of India and
the health care providers have been relentless in their efforts. The
citizens must also help support the fight against the pandemic by
adhering to government advisories of containment and social distancing.

o The Editors draw attention to India’s economic capabilities,

the challenges of a huge diverse population, and the dangers
of false optimism amidst a second wave of SARC-COV-2.
However, some overacting conclusions belie facts and
evidence.

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 o First, no single strategy has worked totally in a country’s
favour with regards to tackling the COVID-19 crisis. This
struggle is evidence from infection and mortality rates in
countries with differing strategies. No country has been
largely effective in tacking COVID-19 except China, which
should encourage scientific minds to question the numbers
and basis for no novel variants being reported there without
independent verification.
o The spiralling and pervasive COVID-19 pandemic has
distorted the world’s thriving economy in unpredictable and
ambiguous terms. But it significantly indicated that the
current downturn seems primarily different from recessions of
the past which had jolted the country’s economic order.
Whereas the nations, conglomerates, corporations and
multinationals continue to understand the magnitude of the
pandemic, it is undoubtedly the need of the hour to prepare
for a future that is sustainable, structurally more viable for
living and working. While the unprecedented situation has
caused a great damage to the economy, especially during
periods of lockdown, the nation will have to work its way
through it, by introduction of fiscal measures. As the national
government envisions, protection of both lives and livelihood
is required. The economic activity must begin gradually after
screening of the labour force. Strict preventive measures

should be implemented by the industry in order to safeguard the

health of the workers. While policy and reforms should be doled out by
the government adequately to salvage the economy, the industry, civil
societies and communities have an equal role in maintaining the
equilibrium. The norms of social distancing, avoiding or cancelling
gatherings, and use of masks and sanitisers should be the way of life till
we are able to eradicate the virus. During this time, the economy is
juxtaposed with social behaviour of humankind, so the responsibility of
bringing back economic action is not of government alone. The risk of a
global recession due to COVID-19 in 2020 and 2021 would be extremely
high, as it has been observed globally that the shutdown of all economic

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activities—production, consumption and Chaudhary et. al. 179 trade—
to control the spread of COVID-19 is imminent. The nature of shutdown
is unique in case of COVID-19 due to a supply shock, a demand shock
and a market shock. The recovery in economy depends on the timings
and magnitude of government support as well as the level of corporate
debt and how the companies and markets cope with lower demand.
Government assistance to those most in need (largely constituted of
unorganised sector, migrants and marginalised communities) is a
critical measure to save many lives. However, every crisis brings about a
unique opportunity to rethink on the path undertaken for the
development of a human being, community and society. The COVID-19
pandemic has a clear message for the Indian economy to adopt
sustainable developmental models, which are based on self-reliance,
inclusive frameworks and are environment friendly.

References
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scenarios/articleshow/74804087.cms Bloom, E., Wit, V. d., &
Jose, M. J.-S. (2005). Potential economic impact of an Avian
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