India’s ‘Maximum City’ Engulfed by Coronavirus

Mumbai, Engulfed by Coronavirus →

Jeffrey Gettleman, writing for The New York Times:

As the coronavirus gnaws its way across India, Mumbai has suffered the worst. This city of 20 million is now responsible for 20 percent of India’s coronavirus infections and nearly 25 percent of the deaths.

Hospitals are overflowing with the sick. Police officers are exhausted enforcing a stay-at-home curfew. Doctors say the biggest enemy is Mumbai’s density.

Particularly in the city’s vast slum districts, social distancing is impossible. People live eight to a room across miles and miles of informal settlements made of concrete blocks and topped with sheets of rusted iron. As the temperatures climb toward 100 degrees Fahrenheit, many can’t stand to be cooped up anymore and spill into the streets.

I have lived in Mumbai all my life and the city is currently in a terribly sorry state. These heart-wrenching photos by documentary photographer Atul Loke paint a solid picture of the hardships that many people have to face in the city.

Check out some more photos on Atul’s Instagram profile.