SATURDAY, MAY 11, 2024
Deeksha Tar
The initial nationwide lockdown was cheered as a sustainable move to curb the spread of corona virus. It did help control the initial spread but was equally responsible for restructuring the new normal of our lives.
The pandemic added with the lockdown has affected different stratas of life but it has not necessarily impacted it in the same manner, given the vast difference in the economic status of the people in our country. The viral video clip of a child playing with his mother’s corpse served as a testimony.
Majority of people who belong to the unorganised sector seem to be gravely affected. With a pause to their source of earning, they seem to be struggling to find their next meal, let forgo the precautions and measures needed to be taken to survive the pandemic. The provisions and aids provided to the needy seem to be adulterated like always than being of any help.
While there is another group of people which seem unfazed or barely affected with the pandemic. The elite class is using the opportunity of time at hand to build skills, invest in family and self, take some time off and unwind, use social media platforms to add to their livelihood and so forth. The white collared job holders are carrying with their livelihood, this time with a mask and a bottle of sanitizer. The local business also seems to be bearing the brunt of the pandemic. To add to the distorted picture, the crippling effect on the economy cannot be ignored. With markets crashing, dip in the industrial sector, layoffs and salary cuts are blending in with the new livelihood.
In the midst of the chaos one cannot forget to thank the people working round the clock to help us. The doctors, the nurses, the cleaners who are risking their lives on the forefront in order to tame the spread.
With no vaccine or proper course of treatment for cure we are still relying on preventive measures. And the least we can do is follow them. It isn’t easy to not touch the face, rub eyes, wear the mask, or remember to wash hands every single time but it is the least we can do so as to not add to spread. It’s the time were we stay indoors or maintain social distancing for our own safety. There isn’t much that you can do to resolve the issue but the least you can do is to help yourself by not venturing outdoors unnecessarily, help the elderly, if you can, than sparing a meal to the ones going to bed hungry, putting a bowl of leftovers and water for the strays, paying salary to your house-help even if you had to do the dishes in the lockdown.
Nobody knows when the pandemic is going to come to an end, let alone trusting the varying numbers published every other day. But all we can do is be hopeful, pray, keep low key, not aim to gain by ruining for others, help if we can, not spread hate and keep washing hands.
