The Covid-19 pandemic brought the world to a standstill, but the huge economic costs that followed forced it back on its feet.  ‘Learning to live with the virus’ is becoming the new mantra, even as fear dwells at the back of the mind, containment is nowhere in sight, and economic costs are piling up. Fewer government restrictions, better recovery rates and rising ‘pandemic-fatigue’ are playing a role.

Evidently, it is catching up in India, too. People’s mobility declined at the first instance of a sharp rise in cases in July; but, interestingly another dip in mobility is not perceptible during the second instance of sharper rise in cases, in September. The association of increase in cases to decline in mobility trends seems to have weakened in September.

Overall, the indicator shows retail mobility improved sharply in September in some major states in the east and south, and Maharashtra in the west. These geographies had seen a sharp decline in mobility in July as afflictions surged. In September, despite caseloads rising, mobility improved as restrictions eased, recovery rates improved, and there was ‘pandemic fatigue’. 

To be sure, October and November saw a sharp dip in daily addition to Covid-19 cases in India, but the possibility of a second wave after the festive season lurks. Recent behaviour patterns observed across states during the September case peak could possibly provide cues on what lies ahead.