Four years ago, on a balmy
march evening,
india went through an unprecedented statewide "lockdown"—a health-related restriction on public movements—to allay initial worries about the Covid-19 epidemic.
The World
health Organization (WHO) formally declared the COVID-19 virus to be a global pandemic on
march 11, 2020, effectively severing
people and nations from one another as they realized the potential consequences of the deadly virus, which was said to have "born" in
china the year before.
Prime
minister Narendra Modi announced the countrywide
lockdown two weeks later on
march 24, 2020, making it one of the first in the
history of the
international community of countries.
Shuddering indoors for months,
people barricaded themselves in their houses, villages, towns, cities, districts, states, and even the entire nation.
Today, the Covid-19 epidemic has lasted four years, leaving a troubling legacy for both
india and the rest of the world.
According to the Covid-19 tracker Worldometer, there were 4,50,33,332 instances reported in India. which, astonishingly, 533,535 proved to be lethal.
With an astounding 11,17,27,592 illnesses and the largest number of fatalities (12,18,464)—more than twice that of India—the US dominated the world.
A total of 70,43,18,936 infections and 70,07,114 deaths worldwide have been attributed to the invisible virus.
On the other hand, out of the 229 nations that Worldometer tracked, the Western Sahara (West Africa) had the lowest rate of Covid-19 infections and deaths per 100,000
people, making it the second most sparsely populated nation globally.
It was preceded by Tokelau (80), in the sub-100 category, and Vatican City (29 afflictions), the residence of the Pope.
Niue (1,059 cases, near New Zealand), Montserrat (1,403 cases and 8 deaths, in the Caribbean Isles, a
british Overseas Territory), and Falkland Islands (1,930 cases, another
british Overseas Territory and the catalyst for the 1982 Falklands
war between
argentina and the UK) were among the more than a thousand cases that were recorded.
Amidst the global fallout from COVID-19, certain historic
events occurred. For example, the annual Hajj trip to Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia, which is attended by over two million Muslims annually, was postponed that year.
A somber At a sodden but eerily vacant St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Pope Francis bestowed a unique blessing onto the globe, although more than 11 million
people in
italy and around
europe watched it live.
Nearby in Mumbai, for the first time in its nearly 250-year existence, the famous Mohammed
ali Road Ramadan street food mart was closed for the full month.
Throughout the two-year
lockdown, which began with the first 21-day installment, limits were progressively lifted as many
people experienced emotional and psychological suffering as a result of the limitations placed on their freedom of movement and their ability to communicate with other humans.
A new world order emerged as a result of the pandemic and the ensuing paranoia on several fronts, including
local and
international air travel,
health care programs, online learning replacing classroom instruction, workplaces transitioning to work-from-home arrangements, holidays becoming "at-home" occasions, online shopping largely replacing brick-and-mortar shopping, doorstep delivery of everything in the markets, virtual "darshan" in place of
temple visits, online
sunday masses or
friday "namaz," etc.
Thankfully, the first COVID-19 vaccine was created in
december 2020, and
india received its immunizations in
january 2021. Both vaccines are regarded as "life-savers," although they should only be used in an emergency.
Almost 70% of the world's eligible
population has received around 14 billion Covid-19 doses to date. This has been done despite both known and unknown short- and long-term negative effects, although few
people are objecting.
All the same, compared to the terrible period of only four years ago, the world is a far safer place to live and prosper.
The World
health Organization (WHO) pronounced the pandemic to be over in May 2023. By the end of 2023, the
coronavirus appeared to have run out of deadly ways, and everyone can now relax because the number of daily Covid-19 infections is currently less than 100 and is only found in a small number of nations.