Precarious employment

Omicron has increased livelihood concerns

Concerns have begun to grow about the impact of the current wave of the pandemic on livelihoods in India. The Omicron variant, which is highly transmissible but appears to be relatively mild in terms of fatalities, has nevertheless led to reduced mobility and increased public health-related restrictions on economic activities. Not all these restrictions make sense — night-time curfews, for example, have no logical or real-world link to controlling the spread of Omicron. Yet it is not surprising that some of those with precarious livelihoods, including in the hospitality and other service industries, are already suffering — and that others