COVID-19 Lockdown Study says India’s Quality of Life Affected and 80% Wants to Hold China Accountable
COVID-19 lockdown has adversely affected India’s economy, health and quality of life and has brought most of India’s major urban cities to an indefinite standstill. CHD Group, a global health organization, based in Mangalore, conducted this national assessment survey to identify the various economic and health-related challenges faced by India’s urban population as well as their perceptions of the lockdown. The survey involved 604 respondents from 25 states of India (including union territories of Delhi and Jammu & Kashmir). The survey included respondents from all the worst-hit states (1000+ confirmed COVID-19 cases as on May 1st 2020), namely Maharashtra, Gujarat, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
According to CHD Group’s COVID-19 Lockdown National Assessment Survey, 40% of India’s urban population lives with the fear of unemployment. Moreover, 15% of employed respondents do not receive the same monthly income during the lockdown. A worryingly large proportion (48%) of respondents face difficulties in access to essential commodities during the lockdown. 21% faced difficulty buying medicines, and 18% faced difficulties accessing healthcare facilities, even in urban centres. Inadequate access to healthcare facilities during the lockdown can result in potential exacerbations of their pre-existing illnesses. Furthermore, access constraints to medicines and healthcare facilities were highest among respondents from the states of Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, which also collectively account to nearly 60% of COVID-19 cases in India.
Lack of physical exercise and the subsequent increase in body weight during the lockdown is often neglected. Overall, 38% of respondents reported change in body weight, of which, the majority (61%) reported an increase in weight. 39% of the urban population do not indulge in any physical activity during the lockdown.
38% of the respondents reported experiencing emotional/mental stress during the lockdown, of which 74% had no similar history before the lockdown. 30% of the respondents also faced issues in family/marriage following the lockdown. This survey highlights some of the major perceptions of COVID-19 lockdown in India. Although two-thirds (66%) of the respondents backed the extension of lockdown until COVID-19 is successfully contained in the country, more than half (57%) of the respondents also believe that recovery from the lockdown and return to normalcy would be longer than the two-month lockdown itself.
43% reported struggling with fake news on social media or the lack of awareness of the same. 80% of Indians believe that China should be held accountable for the pandemic.
Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PM CARES) fund for COVID-19 relief has received donations of nearly Rs.9677.9 crores. However, the majority (52%) of the survey respondents were not in favour of PM CARES Funds as they either demanded more transparency or preferred extending support to other relief funds/NGOs. The majority (72%) also believe that the government could have handled COVID-19 more efficiently by increasing the engagement of NGOs.
The authors, Gautam Satheesh, Edmond Fernandes, Delma Coelho and Glory Ghai, enlist various recommendations to address the shortcomings faced by India’s urban citizens during the lockdown, including policies to enhance job security, recovery to normalcy and access to essential needs as well as awareness campaigns to promote general and mental well-being and to combat fake news. They also underline the need to engage public health proficient NGOs to improve the outbreak response.
