Lockdown 2.0: Were afraid of this and it happened, say anguished migrant workers

New Delhi: As the Prime Minister on Tuesday announced the extension of lockdown till May 3, the anguish of migrant workers and other marginalised communities increased with people desperately trying to contact or find a way back home.

Santosh, a daily wage labourer, who works in a factory at Mundka said the whole lockdown is affecting the people's wellbeing. "We just

want to go home at this moment. We hardly have any money and we don't get food everyday,"

he said.

Hundreds of migrant workers are, at the moment, in quarantine at different locations of Delhi. The correspondent was denied entry at about three to four locations by the

officials. The fear of the daily wage workers has come true as the date extended. "We were afraid of this and it happened. We have been told there is no way to go home," said Ram Kumar, who was at a quarantine facility.

Meanwhile, at a subway outside All India Medical Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) many people are taking shelter, which mostly consists of cancer patients. The patients were either discharged or refused entry after the outbreak of Coronavirus. One of the patients Sanjeev, who was at stage 4 had lost his life due inadequate medical help.

His parents, both in their 70s are requesting officials to go home. "We have lost everything, we just want to go home now," said Sarjuk Das, who hails from Bihar.

Arvind, whose wife had a miscarriage just before the lockdown, is counting days when they can go back. Belonging to Bihar, Arvind said they were not given adequate food. "My wife needs blood as after the miscarriage she lost a lot of it. We don't have clothes and were given food after we contacted a civil society group through a person," he added.

The condition is not livable, but as many are stuck there is no other way round.