From Lockdown to ‘Unlock’!
With due regard for health guidelines- we must get on with life
By: Mudasir Dar
Corona has affected every aspect of life in every part of the world. In early 2020, after a December 2019 virus outbreak in China, the World Health Organization identified SARS-CoV-2 as a new type of corona virus. The outbreak quickly spread around the world leaving hundreds of thousands dead and almost 9 million infected.
India has so far tested around 50 lakh people among them only 6% that is three lakh had been found positive. The number has now risen to more than four lakh. By this standard, if whole Indian populace would be tested for covid-19, around 6 crore people might be positive. The trend here is that maximum of the positive patients detected are asymptomatic. However, to arrive at a specific detail of deaths due to covid in India seems slightly difficult as nearly 1.5 lakh people lose their lives in road accidents across India every year. Countless deaths of identified or unidentified persons are reported every year due to other diseases like cancer, TB, Hepatitis, HIV, apart from conflicts- family feuds, caste related violence, suicides and various other reasons. Even when in every 4 minutes one person dies in accidents people still avoid wearing helmets, thus putting themselves at a greater risk. The same goes about wearing masks now.
Though one has to take all precautionary measures to stay safe from this virus, but there are other issues that are going to hurt the interests of a huge chunk of population in countries like India. These issues shall include joblessness, growing economic depression, lack of workforce, slow financial growth, job uncertainties etc. we have already seen the pathetic plight of the workforce in India as several thousand had cover hundreds of miles on foot to reach to their homes in view of the lockdown and lesser and lesser work opportunities. It is going to take them time to resettle into the previously drawn schedule. We must also remember that many labourers dies and many committed suicides in the wake of the covid and the lockdown.
The economy of India was already in distress and the lockdown has added more miseries to it and instead of drafting a roadmap to overcome the stress, the administrative silence is only worsening the chances of a quick recovery.
It is also to be understood that the idea of quarantine centres will work only to the extent till the number of cases are low and manageable. But what if the numbers rises?
The most practical approach would be to allow people to carry on their routine businesses with hundred percent adherence to the health guidelines. People have to understand that no government, no police or health department is equipped to ensure safety of the large masses and keep a check on all. Therefore the responsibility is our own and we have to act wisely in order to safeguard ourselves and our families from getting infected. If we have to carry on our financial ventures, we must also ensure that we conduct ourselves in accordance to the health guidelines so as to stay safe from the virus and also start earning our livelihood.
