As India begins to relax the national lockdown, rural areas will see greater relaxations compared to their urban counterparts.
Fewer covid-19 cases have been detected in rural areas so far, and unless agricultural activities resume in India’s villages, rabi crop harvesting will suffer.
One key challenge in ensuring that the virus does not take hold in India’s populous countryside will be to ensure adequate hygiene and handwashing practices.
Official data suggests that access to water, and the practice of hand-washing is significantly lower in rural parts of the country.