At the Yamuna Sports Complex auditorium in Delhi, Friday. It houses the homeless and migrants stopped by police. (Photo: Amit Mehra)
One-third of the total COVID-19 cases in the country as of Monday morning are from 31 districts which receive the highest number of migrants.
Coronavirus LIVE news updates
An analysis by The Indian Express shows that of the total 4,281 positive cases across 284 districts reported till Monday, 1,486, or 34.71 per cent, come from these districts, spread across the country.
The data is interesting given the number of migrant labourers who left for their homes immediately after the 21-day nationwide lockdown was announced on March 24 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Also Read | Coronavirus: States in no hurry to ease lockdown
The 31 districts that attract the most migrants in the country, as per the Economic Survey 2016-17, are all the 11 districts of Delhi; Gautam Buddh Nagar in Uttar Pradesh; Gurgaon in Haryana; Mumbai, Mumbai Suburban, Thane and Pune in Maharashtra; Chennai, Erode, Kancheepuram, Coimbatore and Tiruvallur in Tamil Nadu; Indore and Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh; three districts of Bengaluru in Karnataka; Hyderabad Rural and Urban in Telangana; Surat in Gujarat; and Chandigarh.
Also Read | Coronavirus: 76% of infected are male, 63% of dead over 60 years old, govt says
These cities and districts were mentioned by the Economic Survey as those with “high net in-migration”. The survey report mentioned a few other places, like Valsad in Gujarat, Sonitpur in Assam and Puducherry, which have a large migrant population, but these don’t have any positive cases till now.
Lockdown in Delhi. (Express photo by Amit Mehra)
As of Monday morning, Delhi had the highest number of positive cases for any city, at 523. It was followed by Mumbai, including its suburbs, with more than 315 cases.
The 2016- 17 Economic Survey put Delhi at the top for migrants from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, West Bengal and Jammu and Kashmir. Gautam Buddh Nagar and Gurgaon, located around Delhi, have recorded more than 50 and 25 cases.
Other cities that attract migrants include Hyderabad, Chennai and Bengaluru, with more than 125, 80 and 55 cases respectively.
With the 21-day lockdown nearing end, any government strategy will have to keep an eye on these migration centres. The PM told chief ministers last week that states must look at a common and staggered exit plan.