India’s COVID-19 crisis: ‘There is no normal’

Bad news is the only news that Manuela de Souza, an IFC communications officer in Goa, India, hears these days. Since a highly transmissible second wave of COVID-19 infections began coursing through India, causing a record number of deaths, de Souza has watched the virus wreak havoc across the country—including her home state of Goa. In an audio story from IFC, de Souza describes how real-time messaging has changed the nature of the national response to the crisis. Technology also makes it possible for de Souza to keep in touch with friends and former colleagues in Delhi and Mumbai, cities where she used to live and work. She checked in with them recently to find out how their businesses and industries have responded to the stresses of the past year.  In a conversation with IFC’s John Donnelly, De Souza dives into what it’s like on the ground in India today and how businesses are trying to stay and become resilient. Find more stories like this one in our IFC Insights newsletter. Click here to subscribe.