NEW DELHI : In the days since India went into perhaps the largest lockdown in human history, a steady stream of migrant workers from its major cities has headed for the exit—by foot, or on overcrowded buses and vans.
But the exodus may have only just begun. In the Chinese city of Wuhan, an estimated 7 million people managed to get out—before strict travel restrictions were put in place—carrying with them a virus that seeded a global pandemic.
The unfolding mass migration out of India’s cities is expected to be many times larger. Delhi alone is home to about 1.3 million migrant workers, according to the census conducted in 2011.