Question #1: Where are you located, and how bad is, or was, the pandemic in your location, region, or country?

Until recently, I was the vice-chancellor of Utkal University at Bhubaneswar, the capital city of Odisha, on the east coast of India. The government of Odisha promptly declared the closure of all educational institutions of the state on March 14, 2020, before the rest of the country did so on March 25, 2020. Anticipating a complete shutdown of the city, including the market and other civic amenities, I ensured that the students on the campus vacated their hostels and joined their families. University administration counseled various stakeholders of the university about their newfound responsibilities during the pandemic. A climate of uncertainty and anxiety was palpable for many months. Efforts to follow the COVID protocols and allaying fear were a challenge.

Most of the laborers in Odisha work in the textile industry of Surat in Gujurat on the west coast of India. With the indefinite closure of these industries, and without a source of income, many laborers were either stranded or had no choice but to move out of Surat and return home, nearly 1,900 kilometers away. In penury, they suffered immensely in the process of return in the absence of suitable transportation. The Odisha state government organized logistics for their smooth return through digitized web-based registration for buses and trains, turning village and town schools into quarantine centers, and empowering the village councils with more administrative power through a special ordinance to enforce COVID protocols.

Most migrant laborers, however, were not accustomed to the simple vegetarian food and the minimal facilities in the quarantine centers. This created problems of adjustment, and people ran away, violating COVID protocols. This led to widespread infection, especially in the southern part of Odisha, from where the majority of laborers migrate. They also suffered a lot of hardship during the long journey back home.

中文翻译：

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人类学家回答有关大流行的四个问题

问题 1：您位于何处，您所在地区、地区或国家/地区的流行病有多严重？

直到最近，我还是印度东海岸奥里萨邦首府布巴内斯瓦尔乌特卡尔大学的副校长。奥里萨邦政府于 2020 年 3 月 14 日迅速宣布关闭该州所有教育机构，而该国其他地区则于 2020 年 3 月 25 日关闭。预计该市将完全关闭，包括市场和其他市政设施，我确保校园里的学生腾出宿舍并与家人团聚。大学行政部门为大学的各个利益相关者就他们在大流行期间新承担的责任提供了咨询。几个月来，不确定性和焦虑的气氛显而易见。努力遵循 COVID 协议并消除恐惧是一项挑战。

奥里萨邦的大部分劳工在印度西海岸古吉拉特邦的苏拉特纺织业工作。由于这些行业无限期关闭，没有收入来源，许多劳动力要么被困，要么不得不搬出苏拉特，回到近1900公里外的家乡。在贫困中，由于没有合适的交通工具，他们在返回的过程中遭受了巨大的痛苦。奥里萨邦政府通过公共汽车和火车的基于网络的数字化注册组织后勤工作，使他们顺利返回，将村镇学校转变为检疫中心，并通过一项执行 COVID 协议的特别条例赋予村委会更多的行政权力。

然而，大多数农民工并不习惯于简单的素食和检疫中心的简陋设施。这造成了调整问题，人们逃跑了，违反了 COVID 协议。这导致了广泛的感染，特别是在奥里萨邦南部，大多数劳工从那里迁移。在回家的漫长旅途中，他们也吃了不少苦头。