Photos: How the Covid-19 lockdown altered lives for many in India
As the clock struck midnight on March 24, 2020, the world's second-most populous country came to a screeching halt, isolating everyone in their homes. India's lockdown, among the strictest anywhere, lasted for 68 days, and some form of it remained in force for months before it eventually was lifted. Since the pandemic began, India has had 11.6 million cases and more than 160,000 people have died. A year after the lockdown, its ripples are still visible. Some people shrugged it off and managed to get back to normal. For many others, though, their lives were changed greatly, as seen in this AP photo series.
1/9
Neelesh Deepak, a theatre artist, manages a stage for an upcoming show at a theatre in New Delhi on March 16. First, his food supplies ran scarce. Then he couldn’t pay his apartment’s rent. Out of money, Deepak eventually returned to his village to stay with his parents, biding time to cope with never seen before isolation.(Altaf Qadri/AP)
2/9
Neelesh Deepak watches a rehearsal of an upcoming show he is managing at a theatre in New Delhi on March 16. When Deepak returned back to the capital in October, things had changed. Most theatres had closed. Upcoming shows were suspended indefinitely and thousands of his peers had no jobs. His struggle continued for months until he eventually joined a nonprofit group as a researcher. His income plummeted from between $500 to $600 a month to a little more than $150. He struggles just to buy food.(Altaf Qadri/AP)
3/9
Health worker Kavita Sherawat, 30, shows a photograph of her son Parakhshit before proceeding to take samples to test for Covid-19, in New Delhi on March 18. Despite dutifully wearing masks and always washing her hands, Sherawat got infected, as did her husband, parents and in-laws. While doctors and nurses were cheered as heroes during the lockdown, people avoided her, fearing infection.(Manish Swarup/AP)
4/9
Kavita Sherawat puts on a face mask as she prepares to take samples to test for Covid-19 in New Delhi on March 18. She tested thousands of sick and gasping people as they arrived at hospitals, not knowing if the gear she wore was adequately protecting her. “That fear changes you as a person. You start valuing your life more,” she told AP.(Manish Swarup/AP)
5/9