The spread of coronavirus in India (the coronavirus pandemic, which infected many people in India, reached the country in late January 2020).
On 30 January 2020, India announced its first coronavirus case. The Indian Ministry of Health said the patient was from Kerala, in the southwest of the country.
On 3 March 2020, India issued a travel advisory for Iran, China, South Korea and Italy due to the spread of coronavirus, asked its citizens to reconsider travel to these countries, and canceled visas for citizens of those affected countries.
On 11 March 2020, India announced that it was suspending visas and closing its borders until 15 April.
It was also reported that some Indian states had decided to close all schools, cinemas and their maritime borders.
On 13 March 2020, India announced its first coronavirus death—a 76-year-old man from Karnataka.
On 20 March 2020, India announced the cancellation of all incoming international flights for at least a week due to the spread of coronavirus.
On 21 March 2020, Israeli airline El Al operated a special repatriation flight from Mumbai following Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision to close India’s airspace from 22 March for about a week due to the spread of coronavirus.
Nationwide lockdown
On 24 March 2020, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a three-week lockdown across the country—home to 1.3 billion people—to curb the spread of coronavirus.
Following the announcement of the nationwide lockdown, low-income workers began leaving the cities where they worked in large numbers for the villages where their families lived. The uncontrolled movement of millions of people in crowded conditions risked spreading the disease rapidly across vast areas.
India’s fight against the pandemic even extended to legally sanctioned public shaming. In the northern city of Meerut, for example, police forced people who violated the curfew to hold signs reading "I am a friend of coronavirus" or "I am an enemy of society".
On 28 March 2020, India announced the first coronavirus death in Kerala, where the virus had first appeared in the country.
On 13 April 2020, it was reported that more than 10 tourists had been caught violating lockdown rules and punished by having to write "I did not follow the rules, I am sorry" 500 times on paper.
On 14 April 2020, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced in a televised address that the nationwide lockdown would be extended until 3 May.
On 20 April 2020, the prime minister announced an easing of lockdown restrictions to gradually revive the country’s economy and business activity, despite an increase of around 1,500 infections in the previous day—the highest daily figure recorded up to that point. Technology hardware manufacturers, farmers and rural industries were allowed to resume operations to begin reviving the economy.
On 1 May 2020, the lockdown was extended until 17 May 2020. It was later extended until the end of May 2020.
Coming out of lockdown
On 30 May 2020, India extended the lockdown in "containment zones" until 30 June. Elsewhere, however, restaurants, shopping malls and places of worship would be allowed to reopen from 8 June.
On 20 May 2020, a government stimulus package worth 266 billion dollars was announced. Bankruptcy proceedings were suspended for a year.
From June onward, India's Ministry of Home Affairs issued monthly guidelines.
The lockdown was lifted in June 2020, and a night curfew was imposed. In July, local lockdowns were introduced in places such as Goa.
In July 2020, India ranked third worldwide in confirmed cases. On 16 September 2020, India recorded a daily high of over 97,000 new cases. Most of those diagnosed lived in western Maharashtra and the southern states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka.
Infection rates then declined, with daily cases falling below 60,000 in October. The decline stalled in November but resumed toward the end of the month.
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on India
Following the lockdown and the resulting reduction in industrial activity in India, the Yamuna River became pollution-free, according to local residents. Cleaner air increased electricity output from solar panels across the country by an estimated 8% at its peak, according to researchers.
In March 2020, India ordered primary and middle schools to close indefinitely, affecting 200 million children. Only some schools resumed in-person classes. Just 8% of homes had a computer and internet access. Over recent decades, more than a million shelters had been established in India to provide poor children with food, vaccinations, clothing and basic education, but most closed. In 2014, millions of children were working in India, and authorities struggled to enforce laws restricting child labor. In a 2016 statement, UNICEF estimated that 10.2 million children were employed in India. Since 2016, children under 14 have been banned from working except in family businesses. According to UNICEF, however, oversight weakened during the pandemic. Many children began taking on various industrial jobs. As elsewhere in the world, there was debate over reopening schools.
In April, there were reports of increased police violence linked to the enforcement of COVID-19 restrictions.
In November, reports indicated that India had entered a recession for the first time since independence, after its economy, Asia's third-largest, contracted for a second consecutive quarter.
Some experts reported an increase in women's employment in India and a shift in the gender balance of power. Others disputed this, arguing that the situation would widen gender gaps.
A film awards ceremony scheduled for 27 March 2021 was canceled. All film and television production was also halted in March. Cable networks announced that fees for several channels would be waived for several months. The Hindi film industry lost an estimated 284 million dollars that year.