World Health Day: My Take On India’s Response To The COVID-19 Pandemic

“We don’t get to choose our difficulties, but we do have the freedom to select our responses,” said Victor Frankl.

As we all know that the whole world is gripped with the novel coronavirus or COVID-19. This disease was declared as a pandemic by the World Health Organisation last month. The source or origin of this disease is still not known.

With the whole world almost under lockdown, self-isolation or self-quarantine, it is quite important to maintain good, healthy and stable mental health. I know it is easier said than done, but we should at least try to keep our spirits and hopes alive. Because I do believe that this shall soon pass.

On March 24, Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, announced a full national lockdown to avoid the spread of the contagious disease. With this, it included closing up of schools, colleges, movie theatres, gyms, malls, businesses affecting the economy. Some CBSE Board examinations have also been postponed due to the fear of the spread of the virus.

Now, not only the economy will suffer after all this is over, but other aspects of life will also be affected. With schools being closed, students are going to suffer a lot as their studies would be affected. Every year, on April 1, a new academic session commences for most students. But due to the virus this year, I don’t think it is going to happen anytime soon.

I myself am a student preparing for my entrance exam for mass communication and media courses, am also missing my coaching classes. Even my examinations have been postponed for a month. It becomes a little frustrating!

So in order to pass the time in these quarantine days, you should spend time with families as much as possible, play board games, and watch good shows and movies on Netflix and Amazon Prime. People across the globe working from home should take a break in between and relax their mind and body. You should also do yoga and meditation as it helps to keep your mind away from all the negativity around you.

The aftereffects of the national lockdown can be seen even before it gets over. The number of Coronavirus cases has crossed 4,000 and the number of deaths has crossed 100 in India. With this, the plight of the healthcare system of our country has come to the forefront. The demands for ventilators, N-95 masks, hand sanitizers have increased. So, have the prices of these commodities, even though, the government had said that they would reprimand those who would overcharge the people for these commodities.

The condition of our hospitals is not good. When the Prime Minister requested the entire country to observe a “Janta curfew” on  March 22, 2020, and asked the citizens to appreciate the health workers who are on the frontline, fighting the virus, by clapping for five minutes after 5 p.m. in the evening, instead, the government should have made arrangements for more hospitals to be turned into isolation wards and treating the patients with better conditions.

Everyone is saying that the virus did not enter the third phase, ie. community transmission, yet in our country. But, the first case of this virus was identified in our country in the month of January this year. So the government should have announced the last lockdown in the month of January itself.

The move of the BJP-led government is appreciated but it has also been criticised by the opposition parties. The government did not take into consideration what would happen to the daily wagers and migrant workers. Before announcing this, they should have made arrangments for these workers whose income is so less that they cannot remain unemployed even for a single day. Their situation is such that they cannot afford a hand sanitizer. They live in close shanties, so the concept of ‘social distancing’ does not even come into the picture.

There have been reports on trucks being stuck at different state borders and police brutalising these migrant workers if they try to cross the border out of fear that they might have come into contact with persons suffering from the virus or having the symptoms. Police brutality is no solution to any problem whatsoever. The government should have informed them well in advance. With no money left in their pockets and no transportation of any kind available to them, they decided to walk their way home. The government should have provided financial aid well in advance.

The World Health Organisations has urged the Indian government to conduct more and more tests during the lockdown to contain the spread of this virus.