Who is afraid of COVID-19? These Delhites don’t look to be

Delhi and the larger National Capital Region of India has opened up after bearing the brunt of the second wave of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). On April 20, 2021, Delhi had reported 28,395 cases, the highest in the city since the beginning of the pandemic. But its citizens seem to have dropped their guard. Here, shoppers throng the busy Sarojini Nagar market, social distancing be damned. Photo: Vikas Choudhary / CSE

Among the public services that opened were the city’s buses, the Delhi Metro, cinema halls and spas. Despite having suffered immensely in the second wave, people have either not learnt their lessons well or they have become careless. Here, commuters in an electric rickshaw in Mayur Vihar can be seen wearing masks wrongly or not wearing them at all. Photo: Vikas Choudhary / CSE

Here, a sales delivery boy in Shakarpur, east Delhi, wears a mask wrongly over his mouth while leaving his nose uncovered. Photo: Vikas Choudhary / CSE

A third wave of COVID-19 in India could come as soon as the end of August. Here, three boys ride bicycles with their faces completely uncovered. Photo: Vikas Choudhary / CSE

An auto rickshaw driver in Lakshmi Nagar in east Delhi without a mask. Driving auto rickshaws entails contact with different types of people and sitting in a vehicle for hours on end. Photo: Vikas Choudhary / CSE

Two men lifting a vehicle parked in a No Parking zone in Sarojini Nagar. They are not wearing masks. Photo: Vikas Choudhary / CSE