The magnanimity of COVID-19 cannot even be estimated; however, we need to make sure that besides the lockdown and social distancing measures, we are somewhere to combat this virus logically.
Janata Curfew was a fiasco because of the celebration that followed in the evening where people stayed off the road for the whole day. People royally ignored the social-distancing factor in the evening on March 22nd. Indian unabashedly posted videos, pictures and sang praises of the Prime Minister, who most of us know how complacent he was and instead of criticising the social gathering, which was even rehearsed, under the garb of killing the virus, he appreciated the people for the support.
People had illogical claims and placebo tactics to ward off the virus. The knowledge and sensibility of any government can be fathomed how it reacts to an emergency.
In India, the first case of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic was reported on 30th January 2020. When KK Shailaja and her team, who had been watching out for signs of this epidemic since early media reports from China, could immediately prepare, identify the points of contact and quarantine thousands of people, why the central government could not do? Among all the other industries in India, the IT industry was the first to assess the emergency and announce the closure of their office facilities and ask their employees to work from home.
We can still wash our hands off COVID-19, if the government can look into working towards the following areas:
Stop passing the buck: If the government, right-wing, and media are hellbent at targeting and putting the onus on one particular event, community, state or an individual for spreading the virus is an example of a mockery of themselves.
We will lose time in passing the buck. In the present conditions, we need to work as a country to bring down the number of COVID-19 infected patients to normalcy.
As an ordinary citizen of India, my heart aches to read the number of patients increasing and patients dying. It might be anyone, regardless of any religion, state, gender or political affiliation. With time, we are wasting on who did what, this is the time to act swiftly and contain the virus.
The virus won’t wait for the government’s decision to bring people to books. It’s an emergency, we need to act prudently and not impulsively.
Identify the problem with an unbiased approach: With the limited knowledge, everyone has and the measures we are applying to curb this virus isn’t satisfactory.
As per the Oxford dictionary, “Lockdown” means — an official order to control the movement of people or vehicles because of a dangerous situation. Did we see the seriousness from the time we heard it from the Prime Minister? The need of the hour is to identify problems without bias. Whoever is guilty should be punished irrespective of who flouted the rules.
Media has an important role to play. They need to neutralize their tone and narrative and stop fabricating stories—make heroes, sheroes, villains out of their own sweet will without concrete proofs.
Do the Math properly: In these difficult times, everyone and that too every day looks at the numbers of the infected people. A common man who understands basic mathematics would know; India cannot contain the virus unless the pandemonium stops, and I mean literally in every sense of the word.
We need to put the numbers right, test them right and try to treat them right.
Instead of asking people to clap, clang plates and not roam aimlessly on the roads, it’s high time, the government shares, honestly, what it has done in this 3-week lockdown period. This will boost the morale of the people; in turn, the government will hold back its slipping credibility.
Solve the problem: Plan, decide, and execute the plans in place to solve this Herculean task to curb the virus. One cannot just plead to the citizens of a country to be indoors and on the contrary, let his party workers celebrate and indulge in revelry.
Emergency risk management for health: CONVID-19 unravels the challenges for managing health risks and the effects of this pandemic. Learning took some time to create awareness and make everyone understand the seriousness of this virus. A common man using social media platforms have spread awareness to another level. Hats off to all those people! They made people understand all about this unforgiving virus.
With the lessons, different scenarios, conditions, precautions, treatment, and quarantine, we should have been in a better situation.
Let’s not compare ourselves to any country. Let’s be clear, we aren’t participating in any competition, rather we are dealing with people’s lives and most importantly the citizens of your own country.
Learn from the doctors and not play down their knowledge, expertise, and experience. For any such emergencies in the future lay a cornerstone for a big hospital with all the necessary requirements—the team of people who are trained in such emergencies, doctors, psychiatrists, counsellors, mental health counsellors, nurses, police officers, experts in dealing with emergency risk management for health, and more. Furthermore, set up an institute to provide knowledge and expertise.
Crisis communication tips and takeaways: The outbreak comes nearly a century after the Spanish the influenza pandemic of 1918, which had claimed somewhere between 50 and 100 million lives globally and 10 to 20 million in India alone. India hasn’t braved such health emergencies in nearly 100 years, which means we were not prepared. To some extent, we are still underprepared.
Cops spanking the citizens who are found on the roads isn’t an example of sensitivity; for sure, it shows callousness. However, in such emergencies, it is imperative to rise from the ashes and communicate in the best possible manner.
Empathy, empathy and more empathy is the key. Any patient who must go through the entire cycle of the treatment has to pass through a number of people—the doctors, nurses, ambulance drivers, team at the testing centres, people at the isolation centres and others. They all need to be polite, empathetic, and helpful. Training is important and we must take this area as a crucial one.
Lessons learned and future plans: Create a dossier on COVID-19 patients’ case file, testing centers’ analysis, reports, and exceptions in symptoms, how, where, when and what about the people who were infected and treated.
All such facts, documents, symptoms can also be excellent use cases for Artificial Intelligence projects that can help diagnose and suggest treatment for future studies.
As an Indian, who is neutral in every approach that the government takes, the government must listen to the experts, abide by the guidelines suggested. With this pandemic looming over the world, we have enough and more proof to ask for better health facilities. I think India needed a huge fully-equipped-advance-facility hospital rather than a colossal Statue of Unity.
We as Indians must not let go off this opportunity to help the government. We must collaborate, communicate, and fight against this COVID-19 pandemic.
