But for many in the subcontinent, the restrictions mean instant ruin
Imran Khan, the prime minister of Pakistan, declared that there would be no national lockdown to block the spread of covid-19. “If we shut down the cities,” he said, “we will save them from corona at one end, but they will die from hunger on the other side.” Barely a week later, not only have 210m Pakistanis been confined to their homes; on March 24th next-door India shut in all 1.3bn of its citizens, too.
The details of the restrictions differ, too. India’s are strict and no-nonsense. Multiple videos have captured police thwacking anyone they catch on the roads, including doctors trying to reach hospitals, delivery men and people looking for food. The ban includes all religious services, of any faith. Pakistan is wary of going so far.
Simply put, both countries needed to put a stop to the spread of the disease by any means possible, or risk being swamped by dying patients. Curfews and lockdowns, backed by police muscle and softened by government handouts, as well as by calls to patriotism, are the cheaper option. The Indian Council of Medical Research, the government body that has led India’s effort, estimates that strict social distancing may reduce the total number of expected cases by 62%.
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