New Delhi: Punjab is in the news with farmers holding a ‘rail roko’ protest against the three farm bills that were passed in Lok Sabha last week. But in the background, the coronavirus pandemic continues to wreak havoc in the state, which has recorded the highest Covid-19 fatality rate at 2.91 per cent.
Rural areas of Punjab recorded a positivity rate of 7 per cent, not too far behind the 11 per cent recorded in urban areas. However, life appears to be unaffected in the small towns and villages of this largely agrarian state.
Some villages have preferred to live in isolation though the rural distress has left some farmers overwhelmed. However, life has essentially resumed as ‘normal’, or as it had been before Covid struck.
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ThePrint journalist Aneesha Bedi and National Photo Editor Praveen Jain were in the state last week to cover the ground situation. Their travels took them to Mohali, Ropar and Chunni among other places.
Most men and women were seen walking around without a mask — now considered an essential accessory and Covid preventive measure.
When not participating in dharnas, the women were helping out labour, either laying bricks, watering fields or doing other manual work. Meanwhile, with schools still shut, children kept busy by playing.
ThePrint brings you snapshots from their life, isolated from the humdrum of the bigger cities.
