As I contemplated on the alphabet "Q" which was required to be used for writing this post, a thought came abruptly to mind that I should write on 'quarantine'. It was on 31st December 2019 that the World Health organization (WHO) was informed of Corona (Covid19) virus being identified in Wuhan city China. More than a year has passed since then and we are still not anywhere near to seeing the back of the deadly virus. It has caused havoc all over the world.
In our country, we observed the first lock down for 21 days
believing that the lock down coupled with lighting of lamps and beating of
drums/ vessels would scare the virus and it would flee for good. Contrary
to expectations, not only is it still here, but a dangerous second wave is
sweeping our country, affecting more and more people and taking precious lives
of citizens. Further, there are reports of changes in the way the virus is getting
passed on in the second wave. As for example a report recently published in The Lancet has stated
that SARS-CoV-2, (the virus that causes COVID-19), is an airborne
pathogen. Earlier, it was believed that the virus was transmitted through droplets
and not air.
Quarantine is
a restriction on the movement of people, animals and goods which is intended to
prevent the spread of disease or virus. It is distinct from medical
isolation, in which people who are confirmed to be infected with
a communicable disease are isolated from the healthy population. Being in
quarantine can itself be a challenge that has psychological implications. Many countries have been reporting an increase in
“pandemic fatigue” – people are beginning to feel demotivated about
following recommended behaviours for protecting themselves and
others from the virus.
The quarantine can have adverse
psychological effects on the quarantined (even long term), which may include
post traumatic stress, confusion, and anger. According to a "Rapid
Review" published in The Lancet, "Stressors" related to
Covid 19 pandemic are among others things, worry of a longer
quarantine duration, fear of infection, frustration, boredom, inadequate
supplies, inadequate information, financial loss, and stigma. It has been
suggested by researchers that the quarantine be done by the authorities only for the
period absolutely required and also provide adequate information to
the quarantined about the rationale for the same, the protocols to be followed.
They should ensure that sufficient supplies of essentials are provided to
them and appeal to the altruism of the quarantined, reminding them of the
benefits of quarantine for the society at large.
As our primary objective is to arrest the spread of the pandemic, in this post it
is proposed to discuss not only quarantine
but also examine effectiveness of implementation of the entire
protocol amongst the general population namely social distancing, wearing
masks, frequent washing of hands etc.To what extent has India been
effective in spreading this message for curbing Covid 19 and to what
extent have we been successful in practicing the guidelines? The biggest problem
that citizens are facing these days is the lack of transparency about the
extent of damage, effectiveness of treatment, likely complications of vaccines
and other details .Most of the representatives of the so called 'fourth
estate' have ceased doing their primary duties for a long time now.
As on 18th April 2021, the country reported 2,61500 new cases of
covid, adding up to a total number of 1,47,88109 cases with the
total number of deaths accounting for 1,77,150. On the same day, former army
chief, Gen Ved Prakash Malik, tweeted that more people died of the virus in a
single day in the country than the total number of casualties recorded during
the Kargil War that lasted for over two months. He went on to say that fighting
Corona is also a very important war but it is not
being taken seriously by the authorities or the people. There is a casual approach
in handling the battle against corona. This is clearly visible in the way big
election rallies are held without following social distancing, religious
functions involving lakhs of people like the Khumb Mela are being
organized and the farmer's agitation is continuing despite a steep
increase in covid 19 cases. He ended his tweet with a call "Wake
up India!"
On the one hand, politicians are giving statements advising the
people to strictly follow the protocols, particularly social
distancing and wearing masks. On the other hand they are the first to
break them during their election rallies. One wonders whether elections needed
to be held at all at this critical juncture. They could have been postponed or
guidelines given by election commission permitting campaigning only
through electronic media. The interesting fact is that many politicians are
themselves getting affected by the virus and yet that does not
deter them to continue in the insane path of putting at grave
risk themselves and the citizens
they are supposed to serve. Rather than serving the people, their focus today
seems to be only on winning elections. MLAs, MPS and ministers run from one
state to another wherever an election is going on! Where is the time left for
them to focus on serving the constituency that elected them?
During this time of "war against Covid 19", the
focus should have been on substantially increasing the production of vaccines
to meet the needs of a country with a huge population, making available
sufficient beds and treatment facilities in hospitals (as the number of
patients are increasing exponentially) and addressing the issue of
shortage of oxygen cylinders in many hospitals across the country. Special
attention needs to be given to most affected states like Maharashtra and
on the cities like the capital Delhi, Mumbai and other metros which face
the maximum pressure for providing adequate treatment. It is sad, that at the
time of a war, the politicians are responding in a casual manner and
focusing more on elections, which appears to be their only priority!
Normally, the political leaders would be expected to set an example and be role models. Citizens can see a clear mismatch between a call given by politicians to maintain social distancing and then hailing those who have come to attend their election meeting in large numbers. The people are seated dangerously close to each other in these meetings. If only the politicians practice what they preach, others would fall in line. We can only hope that at least now, the political leadership in the country will wake up and pay heed to the call of the former army chief, Gen V.P.Malik " Wake up India!"
Very informative and analytical essay.
ReplyDeleteAll the best Rajeev, you are meeting the A-Z challenge very well.
Thanks a lot monalog.So happy to receive your feedback!
ReplyDelete๐๐ป๐ธ๐ผ๐ท Article is very much pertinent to the present day crisis. You have rightly stated the hairline difference between quarantine and medical isolation with the sole purpose of stopping the spread of the disease. Unknown enemy is nothing but a killer virus to the mankind. The ideal thing is to follow medical advice for prevention and cure. May Almighty provide the needed wisdom to the people to understand the consequences and follow medical discipline with precision. All the best. ๐๐ณ๐บ๐ฅ๐ฒ
ReplyDeleteThank you so much sir for sharing your thought on the subject!
DeleteYour analysis is bang on
ReplyDeleteThank you for your appreciation and feedback!
DeleteQuarantine definitely is very scary. Confined in a room, with negative media onslaught so many are losing control.
ReplyDeleteTrue...Its full impact can be known only by those who have been mandatorily quarantined.Thank you for sharing your thoughts on the subject.
DeleteA very informative article Rajeev.
ReplyDeleteThank you Pankajam! So happy you liked it.
DeleteWell rounded write-up on today's most talked about word.
ReplyDeleteIt is frustrating to see that politicians are not practicing what they are preaching. But public also to be equally blamed for crowding in the election rallies without bothering about their own health.
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts on the subject! Yes, each one of us should take responsibility for our own health.
ReplyDeleteVery pertinent post seeing today's scenario.
ReplyDeleteDeepika Sharma
Thank you so much for sharing your thought on the subject Deepika!
ReplyDeleteYour observation about politicians not serving as role models is apt.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your thoughts on the subject!
DeleteWell written sir and is of utmost importance at the moment. I wonder why we people still follow these selfish politicians though we know they are exploiting us. I wonder why we still believe what the media says as true though we know that media is today the voice of politicians and rulers. I wonder why we are still sleeping and not waking up.
ReplyDeleteYour views, I hope sir will awaken us.
Thanks a lot for sharing your thoughts on the subject! Yes time is long over due for us to ask the "Why" questions. One can only hope that "This too shall pass..."
ReplyDeleteYou have hit the nail on the head. Our politicians are more interested in their personal profit and least bothered about the poor public. Reminds one of the quote attributed to Marie Antoinette "If they don't have bread, let them eat cake." But unfortunately no revolution takes place not do the leaders get their just desserts.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much monalog for sharing your thoughts on the subject! Happy to note that you related to the post.
Delete