Elroy Noronha, founder of Goregaon's Indian Funeral Services, has been facing acute labour shortage. The ancillary businesses that supplied flowers and cloth are unable to operate due to the lockdown. "These days, it's a no-frills burial, with not more than three to four people," he says. His core team of four members is filling in. A part of the reason they are able to hold fort is because, along with a drop in staff, there is also a fall in the volume of requests. "Business is down by 30 per cent." Road accident cases are down to nil, and mortal remains from overseas aren't arriving due to the airlines lockdown. In April, he received one such case.

According to the data released by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MORTH), in 2018, more than 1,50,000 people died in road accidents, which is the highest in the world. Paresh Kumar Goel, a director at MORTH, recently revealed that the Coronavirus lockdown will cut road deaths by at least 15 per cent compared to 2018. Noronha says this development is not entirely unexpected given that everyone is staying at home.