Today (March 24), marks fourth anniversary of Covid lockdown

Population of roughly 140 crore people came to a grinding halt

It was the migrant workers who were left in the lurch

Today (March 24), marks the fourth anniversary of Covid lockdown, announced by Prime Minister Modi. India was one of the earliest countries in the world to impose a lockdown. The move was invoked in order to curb the spread of the deadly virus and also to mitigate its consequences.

Days during the Covid time

All of a sudden the movement of the entire nation of a population of roughly 140 crores came to a grinding halt. Streets were empty, malls were closed, vehicles were restricted to their parking areas and there was eerie silence all around. The first phase of the nationwide lockdown lasted till April 14 for a period of 21 days and then phase 2, 3 and 4 followed lasting till May 31.

The plight of migrant workers

Even as the nation shut itself, it was the migrant workers who were left in the lurch. They had to face several disastrous effects, shortage of food and most importantly and an uncertain future. The most painful moment was when they began returning home by foot or on cycles for hundreds of kilo meters. Some were even arrested and some others met with accidents. Many even died.

The good factors

Most importantly, on the positive side, it was the environment that had improved. Rivers became clean and pollution levels plummeted.