Curfews, complacency: India's new Covid wave brings grim sense of deja vu

It has been just a few months since the deadly Delta variant ravaged the country, when government leaders underestimated its threat and publicly flouted their own advice.

When the Omicron coronavirus variant spread through India late in December, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the nation to be vigilant and follow medical guidelines. Arvind Kejriwal, the chief minister of the capital region of Delhi, swiftly introduced night curfews, shut down movie theaters, and slashed restaurants and public transport to half capacity.

Then, both men hit the campaign trail, often appearing without masks in packed rallies of thousands.

“When it is our bread and butter at stake, they force restrictions and lockdowns,” said Ajay Tiwari, a 41-year-old taxi driver in New Delhi. “There are much bigger crowds at political