The 1st International Seminar of MINDAS in FY 2020
- Date：Thursday, June 11, 2020, 21:00 - 22:30
- This is an online interactive lecture by Dr. Abhijit Dasgupta (University of Delhi, India) via ZOOM. Lecture will be take place from 9:00-10:30/p.m. Japanese Time
Program
- 21:00 - 21:10
Introduction
Minoru Mio (Chair) (Professor and Director, Centre for South Asian Studies, National Museum of Ethnology) - 21:10 - 21:50
Presentation
"Spread, Containment and Community Response: Covid-19 in India"
Dr. Abhijit Dasgupta (Professor Emeritus, Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi）
Abstract - 21:50 - 22:30
Discussion - 22:30
Closing
Abstract
Spread, Control and Community Response of COVID-19 in India
Abhijit DASGUPTA (Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi)
The first Covid-19 case was detected in India on January 21, 2020. In February and March several Covid-19 cases were reported and lockdown was declared on March 24 for two months. Four chief carriers of the disease were the travelers, traders, tourists, migrants. With the publication of reports in the media of detailed cases of individuals who were infected and then arrived in India, it was possible to know how the disease was brought by the travelers, tourists and traders and how others contracted the virus from them. The migrants, especially large number of workers, too were carrying the infection from one part of the country to another. The main centres of spread in the urban areas were places of religious congregation, mandis and bazaars, slums, shopping malls and the like. Negative response from the members of the communities complicated the problem. A large number of cases were reported that showed health workers and doctors were denied access to their home, religious minorities were targeted, migrants were not allowed to enter to their villages. The state response to control the disease was far from adequate. Social scientists have a great deal to learnt from this unprecedented pandemic in India.