Workers forced to take long road home on foot amid lockdown in national capital

With the work in the national capital coming to a standstill following the lockdown imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic, scores of daily wage workers were seen heading to their hometowns in the nearby districts in Uttar Pradesh on foot on Thursday night.

"We have been hungry for the past three days--what will we do here? That's why we are going back to our villages. There is no work in Delhi due to the lockdown," Anil, one of the workers spotted on Ring Road, told ANI.

Echoing the same sentiment, another worker expressed that he doesn't have the money to sustain himself in the national capital hence he is going back to his hometown. "We do not have any money or land to sustain our life over here. All the work has come to a standstill amid the lockdown," he said.When asked if they have received any support from the government, one of the workers said: "We have been getting food from the government. The government is doing its best--but it is impossible to feed everyone."

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had earlier on Thursday reported 88 new COVID-19 cases, which is the highest in a single day, taking the total countrywide tally to 694.