Hungry and harassed under India’s coronavirus lockdown

For millions of India’s migrant workers, walking hundreds of kilometres to find a safe haven is the only option during the country’s 21-day coronavirus lockdown. But on the journey, out-of-work daily-wage earners are facing starvation and harassment from police.

As the country continues to grapple with an ill-equipped healthcare system, the coronavirus crisis has further revealed India’s systemic class issues.

Elizabeth Puranam, Al Jazeera’s correspondent in India, guides us through the pandemic there.

Update 08/04/2020: This episode has been updated to include details about Puranam’s ability to report from the field. 

For more:

India: Coronavirus lockdown sees exodus from cities

Indian migrant workers sprayed with disinfectant chemical

Can healthcare in poor nations withstand coronavirus?

The team:

Priyanka Tilve and Alexandra Locke produced this episode with Dina Kesbeh, Ney Alvarez, Amy Walters and Malika Bilal. Natalia Aldana is The Take‘s engagement producer, Alex Roldan is the sound designer, Stacey Samuel is the executive producer, and Graelyn Brashear is Al Jazeera’s head of audio. Special thanks to Tabish Talib.

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