During the pandemic the Ministry of Health issued a guide on the stigma around Covid-19. It listed what stigma leads to: “People concealing symptoms,” “Hesitancy in seeking medical care” and “COVID-19 cases not being reported, or reported late.”
In September 2020 The Tribune reported that residents of Amritsar avoided Covid tests. “Getting a positive report of a RT-PCR or rapid test means neighbours would come to know of your health sooner or later,” one said. Another recalled: “A street in our locality was referred to as ‘Corona wali gali’ after a family tested positive.”