It’s pictures like these that India’s government doesn’t want its residents to see.
While the pictures are disturbing and heartwrenching, they tell the story of a country in turmoil. A country where COVID is surging. According to The Economist on Sunday India recorded more new cases in one day than “in any country at any stage in the pandemic.”
The New York Times reports:
India’s health ministry reported almost 353,000 new cases and 2,812 deaths on Monday, and enormous funeral pyres continued to burn in the worst-affected cities. Experts say that India’s reported overall toll of more than 195,000 deaths could be a vast undercount.
A potential undercount isn’t the only problem. India is also trying to block the truth from residents and pictures of the funeral pyres (like the one above). The Indian American Muslim Council writes, “As hospitals in India run out of oxygen and the country continues to set alarming records for confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths, officials have ordered Twitter to take down social media posts critical of the government’s pandemic response.”
Twitter reportedly complied with the request.
According to Reuters, “the World Health Organization is sending extra staff and supplies there to help fight the pandemic.”