World record of cases in India: “On the street, really night and day”

India recorded nearly 315,000 new cases of COVID-19 and 2,074 deaths in 24 hours on Thursday, breaking a world record.

Also read: COVID-19: India has reported nearly 315,000 new cases within 24 hours, a world record

“On the street, it’s really night and day. A month ago everything reopened.” Com Bastin, a correspondent for Radio France Internationale (RFI) in Bangalore, said in an interview with Radio QUB, “People started drinking beer again in bars and we didn’t have many cases. “.

According to him, the massive rise in pollution explains the large gatherings due to the religious pilgrimage, along with the arrival of the new Indian alternative.

• Listen to Com Bastin’s speech on QUB Radio:

“Today in Bombay, more than 70% of cases come from this type,” added Mr. Bastin.

“The first wave was not very important. In the first wave, people respected the instructions better. After a year, cases decreased and people started to relax and became less fearful,” said Matthew Tambi, a resident of the coastal city of Cochin.

The situation in hospitals is also very difficult as there is a shortage of staff, beds, medicines and even oxygen to intubate patients. Côme Bastin notes that citizens are scrambling to find oxygen tanks for their loved ones and are using social networks like Twitter to find medicines. However, the situation could be worse than what the official data indicate, he said.

He concluded, “The poorest people are paid daily and are very afraid of being tested.”

The consequences of the pandemic will be felt for a long time, warns Matthew Tampey, a tour guide for 25 years.

“Unfortunately, tourism in India is not of much significance yet.” Matthew Tampi, who does not expect a recovery before October 2022, said, “People who work in this field, we do not expect a good future ahead of us.”