COVID-19: What We Can Do Instead Of Believing Everything On Social Media

The world has entered into the fourth month of its fight against the pandemic novel COVID-19. Globally, the number of cases has only been rising and recently crossed the one million mark. The reports of infection and panic coming from the developed part of the world such as Italy, Germany, Britain and USA, are scary enough for all countries, including India. There is no cure available yet, and mass lock-downs have been imposed in most of the world by the respective state governments.

Meanwhile in India, the internal reverse-distress migration has already exposed our limitations for dealing with the pandemic effectively. Nonetheless, various government agencies (state and central) are on high alert and are working round the clock with their limited resources to fight the threat. There is a visible shortage of testing kits, equipment and gear that are needed for the health workers, including doctors of different government agencies. Government has announced its procurement plans but the general atmosphere of panic can deteriorate faster than its procurement. There are challenges that the government alone cannot solve for sure, but there is no way that the unpreparedness of the government can be ignored. Critics are right in lamenting the inefficiencies and mismanagement of various agencies in managing the whole situation to a large extent. There is a reasonable fear that longer lock-downs can worsen the situation in other unintended ways, which can itself become a bigger problem than the one we are currently facing.

There are legitimate fears that the situation can lead to violence with riots and looting becoming a norm everywhere, wherever the state machinery fails to rein in. These are some tough challenges, and no matter what our perception of the governments is, it does not take much to see that governments can do very little in terms of crowd management if every locality decides to ignore the threat. Citizens have a responsibility that is unparalleled in its history, at least in scale.

During World War II, Calcutta panicked over the rumours of Japanese air raids, while in 1962 there was widespread panic among the people of Tezpur and Guwahati (Assam) in the wake of the onslaught of Chinese Red Army. In both instances, people left their homes and ran for a safer place to protect themselves and their families from an uncertain future. There are other well-documented instances as well. It is said that once our then PM Shastri had to ask fellow countrymen to go for fasting (upwas) for a national cause so that the food grains can reach the needy at a time of drought and war.

Our people have faced tough situations and have battled miseries. There should be no doubt that our countrymen had the grit and determination to emerge victorious again. But these are testing times, not only for any government’s resolve but for all of us.

Not long ago, a large scale communal violence had erupted in Delhi and now, there are popular social media trends targeting one community for the possible spread of the infection. Without any doubt, there are leaders from all communities, religious as well as political, who have spoken and behaved irresponsibly and they must be dealt with a deft hand of law. But this cannot be an excuse for targeting anybody on religious lines, as fools and fanatics follow a religion of their own kind.

Vulnerable and scared people behaved exactly the way they should have. Migrants attempted to return to their homes so that they could at least wait for the storm to settle down from a place which they believed to be the safest – their homes. It is clear enough that the government machinery didn’t move fast enough to stop the population from such a mass exodus. This was our collective failure. I believe that the general panic in the initial days, resulting in the hoarding of provisions for days, sent out the message clearly to the daily wage workers that there was grave uncertainty in the near future. The rhetorical question of why the government didn’t move fast enough is also a path that will lead us nowhere right now.

In short, the situation is grim and there is no end in sight, yet.

But what is it that we can do at such times? There is no doubt that we all have to behave responsibly, not for the sake of the government, but for our love towards our near and dear ones. Instead of believing everything that you see on your social media account, whether TikTok, Twitter, Insta, Facebook or WhatsApp, promote the message of social distancing with your friends and family. Try to include more friends in your circle with a positive message and trust each other. Today, the political dogfights have invaded all forms of media, whether social or digital, hence believing that a trending hashtag or/and a video will bring another ‘Arab-spring’ is a mistake that we all should avoid. In fact, in the recent tension, social media sharing has become a major carrier of the rumours and propaganda of hate. So, it is advised that above all, to use one’s own consciousness in understanding the real implication of sharing and spreading unverified news and dogmatic and panic messages to others.

Instead, use this media and technology to protect and inform your family and friends more and more. As a great leader once said, each of our acts might not be worth a newspaper headline, but a simple act of generosity and righteousness makes all the difference that we want to see in the world around us.

Remember, our country never had the technological advancement that we have today. We can use it to remove the panic and fear, at least among our family and friends. Neither during the world wars or in other crises have we ever had this advantage. It’s also a time when the whole of humanity is united in its suffering. This gives us a unique opportunity to learn from others’ mistakes and follow the best practices from wherever it comes. It’s also an opportunity to rise above sectarian outlook, as no matter what our popular media and some social media experts suggest, everyone is equally vulnerable. Some of us, who believe in divine interventions, can take it as a test of our humanity. Each victim is a unique human tragedy, but our reaction to the victims is the lessons we are going to carry forwards once this pandemic gets over.

Together, we can tide over this situation. United we stand, divided we fall.