A robot, developed by start-up firm Asimov Robotics, holds a tray with face masks and sanitizer after the two robots were launched to spread awareness about the coronavirus, in Kochi, India, March 17, 2020. (Photo by Sivaram V/Reuters)

Volunteers throw a mixture of water, neem herb and turmeric as an alleged natural disinfectant on a street in a residential area during a government-imposed nationwide lockdown as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus, in Chennai on April 7, 2020. (Photo by Arun Sankar/AFP Photo)

An artist wearing a coronavirus-shaped helmet and a protective suit stands next to a police barricade as he requests people to stay at home during an extended lockdown to slow the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in New Delhi, India, April 30, 2020. (Photo by Adnan Abidi/Reuters)

An Indian worker crosses a street holding a shovel during monsoon rains in Prayagraj, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, Wednesday, July 29, 2020. (Photo by Rajesh Kumar Singh/AP Photo)

Travellers wait in queue to test for COVID-19 at a train station in Mumbai, India, Tuesday, November 30, 2021. (Photo by Rafiq Maqbool/AP Photo)

A Hindu devotee drinks water from the Ganges River at the Sangam area, the confluence of rivers Ganges, Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati, in Allahabad on March 16, 2021. (Photo by Sanjay Kanojia/AFP Photo)

Naga Sadhus, or Hindu holy men, participate in the procession for taking a dip in the Ganges river during Shahi Snan at “Kumbh Mela”, or the Pitcher Festival, amidst the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Haridwar, India, April 12, 2021. (Photo by Danish Siddiqui/Reuters)

Children dressed as Santa Clause play with a soccer ball as they celebrate at their school ahead of Christmas in Chennai on December 23, 2021. (Photo by Arun Sankar/AFP Photo)