E-Paper
Mapping Covid-19: Most of India’s economic hotspots under grip of coronavirus
With economically significant regions, such as the financial capital (Mumbai) and the national capital, under lockdown for more than a month due to coronavirus, the country could witness a severe economic impact.
Coronavirus has infected nearly 15,000 people in the country. As per the latest figures updated by the Ministry of Health, 14,378 people have been infected by Covid-19 across the country which includes 11,906 active cases, 1,991 people who have been cured or discharged and 480 fatalities.
A look at district-wise analysis of coronavirus infections suggests that urban areas are more affected by the virus. With economically significant regions, such as the financial capital (Mumbai) and the national capital, under lockdown for more than a month due to coronavirus, the country could witness a severe economic impact.
HT’s business publication Mint analysed district-wise case data compiled by howindialives.com for 717 coronavirus affected districts in the country.
The districts were divided into four zones - red, orange, yellow and green - on the basis of the number of coronavirus cases by mid-April.
While districts with more than 100 coronavirus cases were marked in ‘red’, those with no Covid-19 cases were clubbed in the ‘green’ zone.
Districts with 20-100 Coid-19 cases were categorised in ‘orange’ zone while those that reported less than 20 Covid-19 cases were put in the ‘yellow’ category.
It was found that almost all districts - as many as 20 - in the ‘red’ zone were urbanised, centres of high economic activity. More than 50% of all confirmed coronavirus cases in the country and 67% of deaths came from districts marked in the ‘red’ zone.
The data showed that around 87 districts were in the ‘orange’ zone, 292 districts in the ‘yellow’ zone while the remaining 318 were marked in the ‘green’ zone.
Those districts marked in the ‘green’ zone were invariably poorer as compared to their counterparts in the ‘red’ zone, the analysis stated.
The 20 ‘red’ zone districts included most from Delhi, many state capitals, metropolitans and economic hotspots such as Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Pune, Jaipur, Bhopal, Indore, Coimbatore among others.
