When India locked down with four hours notice in March, tens of millions of migrant workers were left stranded. The situation became so dire that the government eventually set up trains to get them home — and sent the virus deep into the country's villages.nyti.ms/3mpeLdV
India has now reported more cases than any country beside the U.S. And it's become clear that the government's trains, meant to ease suffering — and counteract a disastrous lack of planning — played a significant role in spreading the virus to almost every corner of the country.
Just how disastrous was the lack of planning? Prime Minister Modi's Covid-19 task force, dominated by upper-caste Hindus and unrepresentative of India, never adequately contemplated how suddenly quarantining 1.3 billion people would induce panic for migrant workers.
Modi’s lockdown closed public transport, so migrants, stranded without food or work, began walking hundreds of miles to return home.

It was a humanitarian disaster. The airwaves filled with horrific scenes of people dying on the roads from thirst, heat, hunger and exhaustion.
Railroad officials concluded they had to step in. But few people were tested before boarding. Social distancing was nonexistent. The trains became contagion zones, and the impact on the villages they arrived in was devastating.
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More from @nytimes

18 Dec
We looked at how small businesses around the country are facing new challenges presented by the pandemic. You can find our six-part series here or in the thread below. nyti.ms/3gY2zQp
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18 Dec
This fall, New York City's public schools faced perhaps their biggest challenge in memory: Could they reopen safely? And for how long? We filmed in one school for 33 days to chronicle every step and setback of the reopening. nyti.ms/2WpBBYb
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17 Dec
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Air pollution can be deadly in India, where it contributed to the deaths of more people last year than any other risk factor.

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Monu, 13, and Aamya, 11, breathe some of the most polluted air in the world, but only Aamya's family can afford air purifiers.

Over the course of one day, Monu was exposed to about four times as much PM 2.5 — a measure of pollution — as Aamya. nyti.ms/3mqKgEp
The difference in their exposure is clear as soon as they wake up. Monu lifts his mosquito net and crawls out of bed onto a dirt floor. Outside, his mom cooks over an open fire. A few miles away, Aamya’s mom wakes her; an air purifier purrs in the hallway. nyti.ms/3mqKgEp
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17 Dec
In its efforts to procure supplies to fight the coronavirus, Britain has awarded thousands of contracts worth billions of dollars. Much of that money has gone to politically connected companies, a New York Times analysis found. nyti.ms/37swbCd
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16 Dec
As Covid-19 cases and deaths have sharply increased all over the U.S., hospitalizations are at their highest rate so far in the pandemic, with more than 110,000 Americans being treated as of Dec. 14. Exactly how overwhelmed are your local hospitals? nyti.ms/34lXnk5
With our searchable map, you can see I.C.U. occupancy at individual hospitals near you, drawing from a new U.S. government dataset that shows detailed geographic information on Covid-19 patients.

The national average occupancy is currently 78 percent. nyti.ms/34lXnk5
Our searchable map of I.C.U. capacity in the U.S. also shows how many intensive care beds are available and how many patients are being treated for Covid-19. nyti.ms/34lXnk5
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