大象传媒

The infection rates in India, may not be as dramatic as in the UK or the US, but the authorities have been taking precautions by reducing the passenger numbers on public transport in the capital New Delhi. This has led to huge queues at metro stations and bus stops, and a nighttime curfew has been introduced. Elsewhere in the country, however, political rallies attended by huge numbers of people are being held, and scientists are drawing parallels with last year, when a period of relatively low infection rates was followed by a deadly second wave.

Anbarasan Ethirajan, the 大象传媒's South Asian editor, describes the scenes. He says that the queues outside some of the metro stations have been as long as two kilometres, and people have been waiting several hours at bus stops.

Photo: People wait outside a metro station in Delhi, as public transport restrictions were imposed due to a rise in Covid-19 cases in New Delhi, India, 29 December 2021 Credit: EPA