Phases Of Lockdown Research Articles

Covid-19 and its related environmental quality issues along ganga river, Varanasi, India

COVID-19 made people around the world in terrifying and appalling circumstance which held back all collaborative stitches that is the government decreed people to stay in homes for suppressing the disease spread amid people. Pandemic situation due to Covid-19 has lead to worldwide lockdown. On the other hand, it has increased the quality of the environment especially in hydrosphere and atmosphere progressively throughout the world. The global shutdown from March to June 2020 made liable in assessing the environmental condition which is eccentric accomplishment when collating with past two decades. This study demonstrates change in the water and aerosol quality with the aid of remote sensing in Ganga River of Varanasi city, Uttar Pradesh state of India. Sentinel data obtained from February to July of 2020 used to determine the variation of pollution levels during different phases of lockdown. NO2 levels derived from Sentinel data shows hazardous level of 5.64x10-5mol m-2 in March which is progressively decreased to 5.29 x10-5mol m-2 for the month of April. NO2 level further gradually increased after the unlock 1.0. Similarly, CO levels obtained from Sentinel data shows hazardous level of 0.0517mol m-2 in February which is progressively decreased to 0.0490 mol m-2 for the lockdown periods and it was gradually increased after the unlock phase. Further, Landsat data has been used to show Suspended Particulate Matter and pollution variation between lockdown phases. The high concentration of SPM value for March month ranges from -48.7773 to -48.7812 ,there is drastic decrease in concentration of SPM in which reflection value ranges from -48.7772 to -48.7806 in month of April noticed in the study area.Again there is drastic increase in July values ranging from -48.7753 to -48.7796 which is very high when compared to the lockdown SPM levels.The present study brought to light significant variations in the pollution level during the lockdown phases.

Estimating changepoints in extremal dependence, applied to aviation stock prices during COVID-19 pandemic

The dependence in the tails of the joint distribution of two random variables is generally assessed using χ-measure, the limiting conditional probability of one variable being extremely high given the other variable is also extremely high. This work is motivated by the structural changes in χ-measure between the daily rate of return (RoR) of the two Indian airlines, IndiGo and SpiceJet, during the COVID-19 pandemic. We model the daily maximum and minimum RoR vectors (potentially transformed) using the bivariate Hüsler-Reiss (BHR) distribution. To estimate the changepoint in the χ-measure of the BHR distribution, we explore two changepoint detection procedures based on the Likelihood Ratio Test (LRT) and Modified Information Criterion (MIC). We obtain critical values and power curves of the LRT and MIC test statistics for low through high values of χ-measure. We also explore the consistency of the estimators of the changepoint based on LRT and MIC numerically. In our data application, for RoR maxima and minima, the most prominent changepoints detected by LRT and MIC are close to the announcement of the first phases of lockdown and unlock, respectively, which are realistic; thus, our study would be beneficial for portfolio optimization in the case of future pandemic situations.

Social media as a supporting mechanism during COVID-19 in Indonesia: A quantitative study on isolation among elders

BackgroundCOVID-19 pandemic has posed mental health challenges for people from all walks of life, including the elders in Indonesia. Due to the wide-ranging effects of this pandemic due to various phases of smart, partial, or full lockdown, people worldwide have faced serious problems particularly with their mental health. MethodsThis quantitative study analyses the experiences of the general public particularly focused on elders, those who are in isolation due to the COVID-19 protocols and limited social or physical interaction within the society. For investigating the social support mechanism among respondents, we have gathered a sample of respondents who are elders and using social media. The data reflect the opinion of respondents on elders during this pandemic. A survey was designed to gather data from elders facing mental health issues and using social media platforms to seek information in Indonesia. An online social support scale, self-awareness and insight scale were deployed to measure responses to the issue at hand. ResultsThe data show that the elders had varied conceptualisations about COVID-19 relating to the pandemic, i.e., eating habits, fear of death, strengthening religiosity in eating practices, fear of interacting with people, and interaction patterns. Elders were restricted to their places and had limited physical social interactions, thus social media platforms have played a significant role in developing online interaction among elders, to speak and discuss their matters for coping with the issues of isolation and mental health. ConclusionThe online media platform is considered a great support for elders to stay connected with families, friends, as well as with other communities. The study concludes that despite declaring the non-emergency status of COVID-19, elders have still suffered with long-term repercussions of this pandemic affecting their mental health.

Social media as a supporting mechanism during COVID-19 in Indonesia: A quantitative study on isolation among elders

BackgroundCOVID-19 pandemic has posed mental health challenges for people from all walks of life, including the elders in Indonesia. Due to the wide-ranging effects of this pandemic due to various phases of smart, partial, or full lockdown, people worldwide have faced serious problems particularly with their mental health. MethodsThis quantitative study analyses the experiences of the general public particularly focused on elders, those who are in isolation due to the COVID-19 protocols and limited social or physical interaction within the society. For investigating the social support mechanism among respondents, we have gathered a sample of respondents who are elders and using social media. The data reflect the opinion of respondents on elders during this pandemic. A survey was designed to gather data from elders facing mental health issues and using social media platforms to seek information in Indonesia. An online social support scale, self-awareness and insight scale were deployed to measure responses to the issue at hand. ResultsThe data show that the elders had varied conceptualisations about COVID-19 relating to the pandemic, i.e., eating habits, fear of death, strengthening religiosity in eating practices, fear of interacting with people, and interaction patterns. Elders were restricted to their places and had limited physical social interactions, thus social media platforms have played a significant role in developing online interaction among elders, to speak and discuss their matters for coping with the issues of isolation and mental health. ConclusionThe online media platform is considered a great support for elders to stay connected with families, friends, as well as with other communities. The study concludes that despite declaring the non-emergency status of COVID-19, elders have still suffered with long-term repercussions of this pandemic affecting their mental health.

COPSYC-19: The impact of early phase lockdown on mental health among people with psychotic disorders.

On March 12th 2020 extensive measures were implemented to prevent spread of the coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19). These measures were commonly referred to as "lockdown". In this study we investigate the psychological impact associated with living under these circumstances among patients with psychotic disorders receiving care from specialized mental health services in Norway. During early phases of lockdown, patients and clinicians receiving and providing mental health care for psychotic disorders in specialized health services at Oslo University Hospital were asked to fill out questionnaires developed for the study. 129 participants from outpatient clinics (91 patients and 38 clinicians) and 89 from inpatient wards (15 patients and 74 clinicians) were recruited. Data regarding mental health and related symptoms were analysed using Wilcoxon signed rank tests and standard multiple regression. Outpatients reported significantly less extensive worrying, loneliness and hallucinatory experiences during early phase lockdown compared to the two weeks prior. Reductions in loneliness were predictive of experienced improvement in subjective mental health. However, the majority of clinicians from outpatient clinics believed their patients were experiencing more worrying and loneliness. The result of this study suggests that many patients with psychosis experienced less loneliness, excessive worrying and hallucinations during the first phase of lockdown. This contrasts the clinicians' perceptions, as the patients show signs of resilience during times of uncertainty. The limitation in the study timeframe should be noted.

COVID-19 Pandemic: Did Strict Mobility Restrictions Save Lives and Healthcare Costs in Maharashtra, India?

Maharashtra, India, remained a hotspot during the COVID-19 pandemic. After the initial complete lockdown, the state slowly relaxed restrictions. We aim to estimate the lockdown's impact on COVID-19 cases and associated healthcare costs. Using daily case data for 84 days (9 March-31 May 2020), we modeled the epidemic's trajectory and predicted new cases for different phases of lockdown. We fitted log-linear models to estimate the growth rate, basic (R0), daily reproduction number (Re), and case doubling time. Based on pre-restriction and Phase 1 R0, we predicted new cases for the rest of the restriction phases, and we compared them with the actual number of cases during each phase. Furthermore, using the published and gray literature, we estimated the costs and savings of implementing these restrictions for the projected period, and we performed a sensitivity analysis. The estimated median R0 during the different phases was 1.14 (95% CI: 0.85, 1.45) for pre-lockdown, 1.67 (95% CI: 1.50, 1.82) for phase 1 (strict mobility restrictions), 1.24 (95% CI: 1.12, 1.35) for phase 2 (extension of phase 1 with no restrictions on agricultural and essential services), 1.12 (95% CI: 1.01, 1.23) for phase 3 (extension of phase 2 with mobility relaxations in areas with few infections), and 1.05 (95% CI: 0.99, 1.123) for phase 4 (implementation of localized lockdowns in high-case-load areas with fewer restrictions on other areas), respectively. The corresponding doubling time rate for cases (in days) was 17.78 (95% CI: 5.61, -15.19), 3.87 (95% CI: 3.15, 5.00), 10.37 (95% CI: 7.10, 19.30), 20.31 (95% CI: 10.70, 212.50), and 45.56 (95% CI: 20.50, -204.52). For the projected period, the cases could have reached 631,819 without the lockdown, as the actual reported number of cases was 64,975. From a healthcare perspective, the estimated total value of averted cases was INR 194.73 billion (USD 2.60 billion), resulting in net cost savings of 84.05%. The Incremental Cost-Effectiveness Ratio (ICER) per Quality Adjusted Life Year (QALY) for implementing the lockdown, rather than observing the natural course of the pandemic, was INR 33,812.15 (USD 450.83). Maharashtra's early public health response delayed the pandemic and averted new cases and deaths during the first wave of the pandemic. However, we recommend that such restrictions be carefully used while considering the local socio-economic realities in countries like India.

Learning Continuity during COVID-19: An Analysis of the Higher Education Sector of Bangladesh

Aim. This study aims to understand the factors determining university students’ behavioural intentions toward online learning in Bangladesh. Specifically, this study investigates the relationship between performance expectancy (PE), effort expectancy (EE), social influence (SI), facilitating conditions (FC), and behavioural intention (BI). Moreover, this study explores the influence of pandemic fear (PF) as a moderator in the relationship between exogenous and endogenous factors. Methods. The study is cross-sectional and followed a quantitative research approach with purposive sampling. Data were collected at a single point using a sample size of 578 respondents who studied online during the various phases of lockdown at five public and five private universities in Bangladesh. Regarding multivariate analysis, the Partial Least Squares - Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) is applied in this study to test the causal relationships in the structural model, as it is considered a second-generation technique. Results. Statistically, a positive significance was found between PE, EE, SI, and BI in online learning participation. Whereas the FC and the BI exhibited a negative relationship, a positive relationship was found between PE, EE, and the SI on BI. In addition, a moderating role for PF was investigated, and EE and FC were found to influence BI significantly. Conclusion. This study presents an extended UTAUT model by integrating pandemic fear as the moderator to study students' behavioural intention to adopt an online learning system under a disruptive situation. Practitioners, especially academicians and policymakers, will find this model useful while developing andragogic interventions for the higher education sector in Bangladesh.

Education and education deficits in day care centers and schools during the coronavirus pandemic

The contact restrictions during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic massively limited the educational participation of children and adolescents, both in day care centers and in schools. During phases of lockdown, contact with friends and early child care was often severed, especially for young children. The quality of interactions between staff and children as well as among the children themselves, suffered from the many protective measures, the high fluctuation of children present and the shortage of staff. Pandemic-related group closures in day care centers more severely affected facilities with ahigh proportion of children from socially disadvantaged households, and the proportion of children with higher support needs increased. Schools and families were also confronted with the challenges of insufficient digitalization. Remote and digital lessons more often reached older and higher performing students from more socially advantaged families. Learning time in distance learning was at times on average halved and decreased especially when there was only little contact with teachers and for low-performing students. National as well as international trend data point to substantial learning gaps, especially among children from socially disadvantaged families with low cultural capital and from immigrant families, with the often less favorable learning conditions and limited support options in these families being the decisive factor. In addition, options for extracurricular activities outside of schools were absent in the lockdown. In the post-COVID education strategy greater emphasis should be placed on the integrated well-being of children and adolescents in order to rectify the constraints and stresses they experienced.

Charging after Lockdown: The Aftermath of COVID-19 Policies on Electric Vehicle Charging Behaviour in The Netherlands

During the COVID-19—related lockdowns (2020–2022), mobility patterns and charging needs were substantially affected. Policies such as work from home, lockdowns, and curfews reduced traffic and commuting significantly. This global pandemic may have also substantially changed mobility patterns on the long term and therefore the need for electric vehicle charging infrastructure. This paper analyzes changes in electric charging in the Netherlands for different user groups during different phases of the COVID-19 lockdown to assess the effects on EV charging needs. Charging needs dropped significantly during this period, which also changed the distribution of the load on the electricity grid throughout the day. Curfews affected the start times of charging sessions during peak hours of grid consumption. Infrastructure dedicated to commuters was used less intensively, and the charging needs of professional taxi drivers were drastically reduced during lockdown periods. These trends were partially observed during a post–lockdown measuring period of roughly 8 months, indicating a longer shift in mobility and charging patterns.

Assessment of behavioral and economic changes in various phases of lockdown during COVID-19 pandemic among people living in an urban slum of Pune city

Assessment of behavioral and economic changes in various phases of lockdown during COVID-19 pandemic among people living in an urban slum of Pune city

Campus Mental Health Revisited

This conceptual, reflective article explores recent innovations in mental health service provision at a large urban, residential university in South Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to the pandemic, mental health services at this university were generally offered through face-to-face consultations, with secondary offerings in the form of well-being workshops at student residences and faculty houses. The need for mental health support was acute during the pandemic, placing great pressure on service provision. At the same time, however, everyone – that is, all staff and students – were working remotely as campuses had been closed under national lockdown. In this context, it was necessary to connect students to mental health services while they were studying remotely during the various phases of lockdown and to revisit the conventional and possibly largely reactive model of mental health service provision. Innovation in the promotion and provision of mental health services and products at this university, including through corporate partnerships and the responsible use of automation and technology, helped to achieve market penetration and widespread utilisation of services. In addition, ethical considerations; the factors inhibiting and supporting change; and the sustainability of the efforts undertaken during this period had to be addressed. Drawing lessons from the experience at this university, it is recommended that, while there will always be a place for conventional mental health service offerings, it may be time to expand the model permanently on modern campus environments, where there is a need for a caring community; committed leadership; the development of resilience in the student body; and the building of personal strengths in individuals.

A parent-school initiative to assess and predict air quality around a heavily trafficked school

Many primary schools in the UK are situated in close proximity to heavily-trafficked roads, yet long-term air pollution monitoring around such schools to establish factors affecting the variability of exposure is limited. We co-designed a study to monitor particulate matter in different size fractions (PM1, PM2.5, PM10), gaseous pollutants (NO2, O3 and CO) and meteorological parameters (ambient temperature, relative humidity) over a period of one year. The period included phases of national COVID-19 lockdown and its subsequent easing and removal. Statistical analysis was used to assess the diurnal patterns, pollution hotspots and underlying factors driving changes. A pollution episode was observed early in January 2021, owing to new year celebration fireworks, when the daily average PM2.5 was around three-times the World Health Organisation limit. PM2.5 and NO2 exceeded the threshold limits on 15 and 10 days, respectively, as the lockdown eased and the school reopened, despite the predominant wind direction often being away from the school towards the roads. The peak concentration levels for all pollutants occurred during morning drop-off hours; however, some weekends showed higher or comparable concentrations to those during weekdays. The strong disproportional Pearson correlation between CO and temperature demonstrated the possible contribution of local sources through biomass burning. The impact of lifting restrictions after removing the weather impact showed that the average pollution levels were low in the beginning and increased by up to 22.7 % and 4.2 % for PM2.5 and NO2, respectively, with complete easing of lockdown. The Prophet algorithm was implemented to develop a prediction model using an NO2 dataset that performed moderately (R2, 0.48) for a new monthly dataset. This study was able to build a local air pollution database at a school gate, which enabled an understanding of the air pollution variability across the year and allowed evidence-based mitigation strategies to be devised.

What makes Indian domestic tourists crowd-friendly in the post-COVID-19 phase?

PurposeThis study aims to explore the good crowding effect among Indian domestic travellers during the COVID-19 pandemic in the context of the city destination. This study uses the framework of social motivation theory to achieve the objective.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopted a qualitative research design by taking the case of Shimla, Himachal Pradesh. Using purposive sampling, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 37 respondents, and themes were drawn manually.FindingsThe analysis found four themes that create a good crowding effect among domestic tourists, namely, convenience and price; familiarity and place attachment; social affiliation; and safety. The themes indicated that despite the pandemic, and constant occurrences of new variants, Indian domestic tourists’ on-site attitude towards crowding was favourable.Research limitations/implicationsFirstly, the good crowding effect during the pandemic could have been better understood using empirical data. Secondly, the results cannot be generalized, specifically for developed economies.Practical implicationsThis study offers practical implications to destination managers and local administrative bodies for whom achieving sustainability in urban tourism has always been concerning. These include developing infrastructural facilities, encouraging cultural activities in city centres and improving the perception of safety to sustain the good crowding effect.Social implicationsThe affective dimension involved in making a travelling decision played a significant role in the post-pandemic phase. While suppliers needed survival, tourists needed social affiliation and escape from the mandated home isolation due to multiple phases of COVID-19 lockdown in India. This study adds value to society by emphasising that the need for social affiliation among travellers remains intact, and the tourism industry should embrace this transformation.Originality/valueWhile most of the pandemic-related studies criticised crowd and tourists’ crowd averting behaviour, this study reported that the good crowding effect could also be an outcome owing to different factors. Therefore, this study offers distinctive nuance of tourists’ behaviour in the post-COVID-19 phase, allowing destination managers and tourism stakeholders to re-think their strategies.

Impact of Socioeconomic Deprivation on the Local Spread of COVID-19 Cases Mediated by the Effect of Seasons and Restrictive Public Health Measures: A Retrospective Observational Study in Apulia Region, Italy.

The aim of this study was to investigate the spatiotemporal association between socioeconomic deprivation and the incidence of COVID-19 and how this association changes through the seasons due to the existence of restrictive public health measures. A retrospective observational study was conducted among COVID-19 cases that occurred in the Apulia region from 29 February 2020 to 31 December 2021, dividing the period into four phases with different levels of restrictions. A generalized estimating equation (GEE) model was applied to test the independent effect of deprivation on the incidence of COVID-19, taking into account age, sex, and regional incidence as possible confounding effects and covariates, such as season and levels of restrictions, as possible modifying effects. The highest incidence was in areas with a very high deprivation index (DI) in winter. During total lockdown, no rate ratio between areas with different levels of DI was significant, while during soft lockdown, areas with very high DI were more at risk than all other areas. The effects of social inequalities on the incidence of COVID-19 changed in association with the seasons and restrictions on public health. Disadvantaged areas showed a higher incidence of COVID-19 in the cold seasons and in the phases of soft lockdown.

'Being' with research participants

The global Covid-19 pandemic has severely hit the lives of the people of Nepal. The country witnessed two phases of lockdown over 10 months from March 2020 until August 2021. I completed my PhD data collection in Nepal through February to April 2021, when the pandemic’s risk was naturally lowered. My research explores local value systems of communities involved in school governance in Lalitpur, Nepal. Accordingly, my participants included schools’ stakeholders: parents, teachers, locals, Education Officers and elected representatives. The Covid-19 situation in Nepal requires social distancing and mask wearing while talking with others. In my experience these health protocols disrupted my aims to develop rapport and build close, trusting relationships with my research participants. In this article, I reflect on ways I sought to build relationships of trust with my participants before conducting interviews amid Covid-19 regulations. I narrate my experiences as a Nepalese citizen and researcher in uncertain times. This research might be useful to researchers in establishing a relationship with participants, applying face to face interviews in unfavourable situations such as a pandemic.

The impact of a pandemic on knowledge sharing behavior: a COR perspective

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to look at the attitudes of the employees in terms of sharing knowledge during COVID-19 in an online environment and the various difficulties associated and to analyze knowledge sharing (KS) in a virtual office setting, using the conservation of resources theory.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative approach was used by conducting face-to-face interviews online through GoogleMeet, Skype and Zoom. A total of 34 interviews from 14 multinational companies (or their subsidiaries), in a supervisory role, were conducted for the study. A thematic analysis was conducted to analyze the responses.FindingsDuring a crisis, the tendency of employees to share knowledge at the individual, team and organizational level increases and is interlinked. The results of this study suggest that during the initial phases of lockdown, the creativity levels among employees were high; however, as the work from the office got postponed because of extended lockdowns, the creativity level of employees saw a dip. Furthermore, the findings of this study also highlighted that KS in remotely located teams was found to be dependent on the extent to which the team members knew each other, such that known teams were in a better position to share knowledge than a newly formed team with unknown or less known members.Research limitations/implicationsThis study has 34 respondents which is an acceptable number for a qualitative inquiry. However, the number of industries could be increased for generalization purposes. Responses were collected from a group of knowledge workers who were willing to correspond digitally, using social media channels of the authors, such as Linkedin. Responses collected personally could provide different results.Practical implicationsThis study provides insights into visible change in organizational processes. The conceptual model developed in this study has several implications which will help chief knowledge officers to understand why the various individual, team and organizational factors lead to KS, particularly with respect to COVID-19.Originality/valueThis study has explored a contemporary phenomenon – KS during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, in an online environment. This study depicts the extant literature on knowledge management during a pandemic, thus bridging the scholarly gap. This study tried to bring in a broader perspective by selecting respondents across continents, domains and varied age groups. Fourth, most studies analyzing KS/knowledge hiding in the extant literature, especially during the pandemic, have followed a quantitative approach. This study followed a qualitative approach to gain insights into the KS of the firm and the thoughts and practicalities behind it.

Nature, nurture, (Neo-)nostalgia? Back-casting for a more socially and environmentally sustainable post-COVID future

ABSTRACT Commentaries on lived experiences of COVID-19-induced ‘lockdown’ have simultaneously directed public imaginations backwards to draw inspiration and fortitude from historical periods of national and global challenge, and forwards into futures characterised by greater environmental sensitivity and community resilience. In this article, we argue that individuals’ and households’ practical coping strategies from different phases of lockdown within the UK offer clues as to how adaptive embodiments of close connection – to nature and community – both inform contemporary practices of everyday resilience and signpost towards enablers of a more socially compassionate and environmentally sustainable future. Our novel approach to conceptualising post-COVID recovery draws on ‘back-casting’ – an approach which envisages pathways towards alternative, ‘better’ futures – to work back from the notion of sustainable lifestyles, through participants’ narratives of coping in/with lockdown, to the forms of adaptation that provided solace and encouragement. We highlight how these embodied and emotional adaptations constitute a form of nascent ‘neo-nostalgia’ capable of reaching beyond the enabling of coping mechanisms in the present to inform long-lasting capacity for individual and community resilience in the face of future socio-environmental crises.

Impact of a Long Lockdown on Mental Health and the Role of Media Use: Web-Based Survey Study.

BackgroundDue to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Czech population experienced a second lockdown lasting for about half a year, restricting free movement and imposing social isolation. However, it is not known whether the impact of this long lockdown resulted in habituation to the adverse situation or in the traumatization of the Czech population, and whether the media and specific media use contributed to these effects.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to elucidate the effect of the long lockdown on the mental health of the Czech population, and the role of exposure to COVID-19 news reports and specific forms of media news use in mental health.MethodsWe conducted two consecutive surveys in the early (November 2020) and late (March/April 2021) phases of the nationwide lockdown on the same nationally representative group of Czech adults (N=1777) participating in a longitudinal panel study.ResultsOur findings showed that the self-reported symptoms of anxiety and depression increased in the second observation period, confirming the negative effect of the pandemic lockdown as it unfolded, suggesting that restrictive measures and continuous exposure to a collective stressor did not result in the strengthening of resilience but rather in ongoing traumatization. The results also suggest a negative role of the media’s coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic in mental health during the early, and particularly late, phases of the lockdown. Furthermore, we found several risk and protective factors of specific media news use. The media practice in news consumption connected to social media use was the strongest predictor of exacerbated mental health symptoms, particularly in the late phase of the lockdown. Moreover, news media use characterized by internalization of information learned from the news, as well as negative attitudes toward media news, were associated with higher levels of anxiety and depression. Conversely, the use of infotainment, together with an in-depth and contextual style of reading news articles, were related to improvement of mental health.ConclusionsOur study showed that the long lockdown resulted in traumatization rather than habituation, and in more pronounced effects (both negative and positive) of media use in mental health.

Suicide among users of mental health and addiction services in the first 10 months of the COVID-19 pandemic: observational study using national registry data.

Although many studies have reported no rise in suicides in the general population following the COVID-19 pandemic, little is known regarding mental health and substance misuse service patients, groups who have reportedly faced substantial reductions in their access to care during phases of lockdown. However, in this observational study using national registry data, during the first 10 months of the pandemic we found no evidence of an increased risk among people in recent (within 12 months) contact with secondary care. Both long-term and differential effects on subgroups remain to be studied.

Variation in Air Quality over Delhi Region: A Comparative Study for 2019 and 2020

Air quality of highly industrialized cities has shown enhanced potential for adverse impacts upon environment and human health. Spread of the COVID-19 in people suffering from some ailment is one of the examples. Meanwhile, complete and partial lockdown were imposed, nationwide, throughout the globe. This study portrays the spatio-temporal variations of atmospheric pollutants over eight regions in National Capital Territory (NCT) Delhi, India, during 2019–2020. It focusses on the entire year with special emphasis on four phases of lockdown and unlock with varying restrictions. As compared to 2019, the results show decrease in relative percent by for fine particulate matters (~ 11.6%), oxides of nitrogen (~ 7%), oxides of sulfur (~ 3.7%), ozone (~ 7.7%), carbon monoxide (~ 20.7%), benzene (~ 11%) and toluene (~ 14%). It was found that strict lockdown phase-I had major contribution to this change. Toluene:Benzene ratios for summer coinciding with strict lockdown confirmed non-operating stationary sources. Later phases were provided with relaxation in certain sectors (mainly vehicular mobility and industrial sector) accompanied with various meteorological impacts, hence did not show much variations. After unlock-IV, anthropogenic activities were found to be accelerated to meet the halted economic demands. Meanwhile, during winter season, biogenic emissions and meteorological factors together affect the air quality in India, aiding air dispersion inhibition due to which the pollutants level showed immediate rise. Restricted human activities prevailing during the lockdown and unlock phases proved to be beneficial in terms of stumping the emission of pollutants into the ambient environment proving that the imposed lockdown healed the environment temporarily.