Two years after world's biggest lockdown, India surges back to normal life

Published
0

Almost two years after India went into the world's biggest lockdown to slow the spread of Covid-19, students headed back to school in Maharashtra state, a sign of normal life resuming as infection rates fall.

India's daily coronavirus infections rose by less than 10,000 for a third straight day on Wednesday, a level last seen in late December before the rapid spread of the Omicron variant, data from the health ministry showed.

Last week, Maharashtra state minister Aaditya Thackeray said schools in the state's largest city, Mumbai, would resume pre-Covid attendance, reinstating all activities in view of declining cases.

A Hindu devotee wearing a face mask as a precaution against Covid-19 offers prayers at a temple of Hindu god Shiva during Shivratri festival, in Gauhati, India on Tuesday. — AP
A Hindu devotee wearing a face mask as a precaution against Covid-19 offers prayers at a temple of Hindu god Shiva during Shivratri festival, in Gauhati, India on Tuesday. — AP

Opinion

Editorial

Fixing bond markets
Updated 01 Oct, 2026

Fixing bond markets

Pension funds, insurance companies, mutual funds, retail investors, and eventually, foreign investors must become bigger participants in the market.
Call centre rackets
01 Oct, 2026

Call centre rackets

A NUMBER of recent raids conducted by the authorities in different cities point to the growing threat fraudulent ...
Homeward bound
01 Oct, 2026

Homeward bound

FIVE months after Somali pirates captured an oil tanker carrying a 19-member multinational crew, Somali maritime...
Kashmir unresolved
Updated 30 Sep, 2026

Kashmir unresolved

The just solution lies in India addressing the issue through a trilateral dialogue involving the legitimate representatives of the Kashmiri people and Pakistan.
Water shortage
30 Sep, 2026

Water shortage

THAT the country is entering the Rabi season with an anticipated water shortage of nearly 25pc, the lowest carryover...
Young hearts
30 Sep, 2026

Young hearts

THE observance may have passed, but the message of World Heart Day should not fade with it. The occasion is a useful...