JUDY WOODRUFF: This week, India's government began to relax one of the world's largest
lockdown orders, even as cases continue to spike.
Special correspondent Neha Poonia reports the outbreak has also led to a rise in attacks
against Muslims, leading to a rare condemnation of the government there by the U.S.
NEHA POONIA: A nation of 1.3 billion people under lockdown for 54 days, bustling cities
turned into ghost towns overnight.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi made an unprecedented announcement to shut the country down when
India only had 500 reported COVID-19 cases.
NARENDRA MODI, Indian Prime Minister (through translator): The entire country shall go under
complete lockdown. A full ban is being imposed on people from stepping out of their homes.
NEHA POONIA: But implementing a complete lockdown in the world's second most populous country
comes with many challenges.
For the affluent, working from home is easy, but for millions of migrant and daily wage
laborers, life came to a sudden standstill.
As companies shut down and transport ground to a halt, migrant laborers found themselves
on the streets, with no income and no money to buy food or pay rent.
More than 1.4 million laborers were left stranded in Indian cities. And some had no other way
but to walk and walk.
BANWARI LAL, Migrant Laborer (through translator): I slept on the road whenever I could. And
one night, all my belongings were stolen. I had no food, no money, and no way to contact
my family. I still didn't make it back home.
NEHA POONIA: Banwari Lal and hundreds of other migrant laborers are now living in a make-shift
government shelter in Delhi. It's one of 37,000 shelters set-up across the country.
Here, these men and women have food on their plates, a roof over their heads and access
to medical care. But in these cramped quarters, it's still impossible to keep a safe distance.
Rina asked us to use her first name only. She's lived here for more than five weeks
now, and she accuses the government of letting her down. She says, given some warning, she
could have reached her village in time.
RINA, Migrant Laborer (through translator): My family calls me everyday weeping uncontrollably.
If my husband and I get COVID-19, how will they survive?
NEHA POONIA: Rina is one of more than 140 million Indians who have lost their jobs during
the lockdown.
Unemployment is at a record high of 27 percent. And the shutdown is costing the Indian economy
nearly $5 billion in losses every day. And it's not just the people at the bottom rung
of India's economic ladder who have lost their livelihoods.
In India's financial capital, Mumbai, marketing manager Kapil Tiwari has a job now, but doesn't
know what tomorrow holds.
KAPIL TIWARI, Marketing Manager: Even my wife says, Kapil, how will you survive if your
company asks you to stay at home? Then how will you survive? Because there are no jobs
at present in the market.
NEHA POONIA: A few miles away, a more immediate worry is brewing in Asia's largest slum. A
million people live here cheek by jowl, often in tiny one-room houses. And more than 700
have tested positive for COVID-19.
Authorities are struggling to impose social distancing and warn that the actual count
might be exponentially higher. This small space is home to Vishal Dravider and his family.
But it's impossible to stay indoors all the time. There's no running water and no toilet.
Every trip outside the house is a risk.
VISHAL DRAVIDER, Dharavi Resident (through translator): At the community toilets, not
all stalls have running water. There are usually long lines at the toilets too. Staying away
from people in such circumstances is tough.
NEHA POONIA: With its population density, the government realizes Dharavi is a ticking
time bomb. Estimates show India could have more than one million COVID-19 cases by mid-May.
Such a surge in infections will overwhelm public hospitals already grappling with a
shortage of protective gear, ventilators and doctors. The Indian government says it's spending
nearly $2 billion on strengthening the health care setup.
While facilities are a concern, doctors say that the infection isn't the only thing that
they're battling. Many health care workers have been attacked by angry neighbors who've
accused doctors of being carriers of the virus.
Dr. Sanjibani Panigrahi filmed this assault by her neighbor in March in the presence of
her 3-year-old son.
DR. SANJIBANI PANIGRAHI, India: I think even animals don't attack each other like this
without reason.
NEHA POONIA: She's not alone.
Dr. Sachin Nayak lived in his car for many days to keep his family safe. The toughest
part? Not being able to see or hug his son.
DR. SACHIN NAYAK, India (through translator): I'd never imagined a day would come where
doctors who are trying to help keep people safe would be attacked. When such incidents
happen, you feel extremely demoralized and demotivated. Every attack is a setback for
India's fight against COVID-19 and is precious time lost.
NEHA POONIA: Not just doctors, but public health experts and political critics say India
needs to do more to keep its citizens safe, and that the window to do more is quickly
shrinking.
Social distancing and the extended lockdown are India's primary weapons against the pandemic.
But with the government testing just over 800 people per million, experts warn it's
not nearly enough.
A major concern? Asymptomatic people who could spread the virus unknowingly. Not just a public
health challenge, the COVID-19 outbreak is also exposing India's communal fissures. A
gathering of Islamic preachers in New Delhi led to a huge spike in India's coronavirus
cases in April.
Many leaders of Prime Minister Modi's Hindu majority BJP Party blamed the rapid spread
on Indian Muslims. Since then, many Muslims have been beaten up, others harassed and targeted
online, accused of being carriers of the virus, including Rana Ayyub, who says the Indian
government stands to gain from such a hate campaign.
RANA AYYUB, Journalist (through translator): It is trying to obfuscate the truth by diverting
the country's attention to communalization, to communalization of the virus.
So, unfortunately, it has had an impact. You see middle-class narratives in India focusing
on -- focusing on Muslims being the villains. And is it not asking the questions of the
government that need to be asked.
NEHA POONIA: Critics have long accused India's ruling party of fomenting hate and inciting
violence against minorities, especially Muslims, a charge the party denies.
So, as India battles COVID-19, it's not just the lives of 1.3 billion people at stake,
but also India's national unity.
For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Neha Poonia in Delhi.