Comic: The Coronavirus Runs Rampant Through a Reopening Indian Economy

India has emerged as the world’s new hotspot for Covid-19: the virus is running rampant through the country’s densely-populated cities and a hinterland with often under-developed health infrastructure. As of last week, it had over 5.5 million cases, second only to the U.S.

New infections nearly touched 100,000 per day last week, casting a pall over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 70th birthday but – thankfully – not distracting the government from the need to cool down tension on its border with China.

The usual weekend dip in registered infections and deaths may be only a temporary reprieve: the lack of a comprehensive state safety net has forced the government into reopening the economy before it has the virus properly under control, and evidence from Europe and the U.S. suggests that that risks a further surge in cases.

The country’s most famous tourist attraction, the Taj Mahal, reopened on Monday for the first time in six months, but reportedly sold only 300 tickets out of a possible maximum of 5,000.