The Corona Crisis and the lessons learned??

The Corona Crisis and the lessons learned??

Today, the 2021 era, the era of crises. Our grandchildren will remember us no less than any dinosaur generation. “I went to the office wearing two masks, that too in the scorching heat of Mumbai, and you cannot live without the A/C”, sounds much better than “I battled a King Cobra and then defeated a giant crocodile on my way to school”. We all have had our own sets of ups and downs. We all still curse that person who had to do nothing but cook Bat soup, like a buddy, daal chawal kha na chupchap. But we cannot undo the past, and thinking about this hurts extra, I wish I could break a coconut on his head before he made that soup (I abhor violence, but still the rage gets better of me at times) or maybe just do something. But the reality is, nothing can be done now, it’s too late. We all know that this wave is more deadly and dangerous compared to the previous wave, so nothing can be done, but hey, let’s do some Mann Ki Baat, and keep
turning and twisting all the issues. Let’s say the same thing in hundreds of different languages. At the end of the day, it’s us, it’s about all of us. We will be suffering and struggling to get a hospital bed, dying not because of Covid, but lack of oxygen. So we have to be Aatmanirbhar,Mitro. But this time, no use banging your utensils or even beating your chest, the Covid is deaf to the clatter and to your sorrows, just like those in power. Am I sounding irrelevant and boring?

Yet you cannot do anything; I will turn off my comments section.

The Disaster Never Lies

This time, the news is distressing, no it’s not only the Modia Media, but the daily deaths
reported. The disturbing images of patients struggling not only for basic treatment but to breathe. This is not a tragedy, this is cruelty. Ambulances waiting outside the hospital, in a long queue, trying to get their patients admitted. The ambulances turn into hearse vans for the victims……
but who cares? We are busy sending a notice to Twitter to block tweets that criticize us.
Threatens an MP, “You will get two slaps if you ask for oxygen”. An elected representative of democracy is answerable to his countrymen; it is called accountability, which seems to be in as short a supply as Remdesivir. The pandemic has brought forward the issue that is clearly visible, “Misgovernance”. The second wave was already predicted by the Scientists, even after this prediction the Centre gave more importance to improve their ties with other countries, by risking the citizens of its own country. Vaccines were provided to other nations, and now we are suffering. Is the healthcare system collapsing? No, it’s the “System” that is collapsing day by day. The disease was spreading fast, but the state and central governments went ahead with election rallies and Kumbh Mela. The media did not question but covered the massive rallies diligently. The people too participated in large numbers in these congregations, forgoing any common sense. The new cricket stadium, named after Modi witnessed thousands of unmaskers watching

India-England match. Most of the time was spent diminishing the seriousness of the pandemic. Rallies were discussed and dissected on news, the virus lurking behind the shadows was conveniently ignored by the political class, media and the public also.

The Virus Rallies and Mela

Allowing and encouraging election rallies, religious congregations were very beneficial to the vote bank, and to consolidate the victory of our political leaders, the cost is borne by the nation. An inadequate healthcare system, frayed to breaking point, the helpless medical staff made into demi-Gods so that they can be called to sacrifice themselves, stretch themselves to the maximum
levels of human endurance. Second wave predictions were ignored because winning in elections was the more important task. Religious congregations were encouraged, neither testing protocols nor any measure of social distancing was followed. The reference ‘super-spreader event’ can be applied here? Lack of political will not only on the part of the Centre but also the state governments led to an overall lethargy in ramping up medical facilities, testing centres. We the public also have to take part in the blame, for this catastrophe ‘lockdown fatigue’ made us behave like the virus was vanquished. To prove that the virus was history we had ample proof by way of the images being beamed into our homes.
“As Covid 19 Devastates India, Deaths Go Undercounted” reads the headline of a report
published by the New York Times. ‘The actual data is being manipulated by the crematorium officials’, the report quotes a staff at one of the crematoriums saying. “Sickness” is cited as the cause of some of the coronavirus deaths. India was referred to as the “World’s Pharmacy”,“ the largest vaccine supplier to the world” at the time when hardly one per cent of the Indian population was vaccinated. The hospitals are overwhelmed across India, there is an acute shortage of medicines. The steps or lack of it taken by the Indian government are being analyzed and universally criticized all over the world.
The coronavirus pandemic has deeply impacted Indian businesses. It collapsed the economy. This has been a crisis like no other, the economic shock is worse than the 2008 financial crisis.
Everybody is hurt. This is a time of fear, uncertainty, and chaos. The doctors are facing hardship because of the fragile system. They constantly deal with patients and who are struggling to survive. A small study published by Indian Journal Psychiatry reveals how dealing with a pandemic is taking a toll on doctors. The pressure is a lot more. The crematoriums are working day and night. Many people have to wait with the bodies for hours. There are people who support events like Kumbh Mela and massive political rallies, at a time when the only way an unvaccinated country can protect itself is by social distancing. Any individual who can support and condones such dangerous behavior is a threat to the nation’s safety.

At this time, the priority of any wise leader would be providing all the necessary healthcare facilities to the people, especially the ones from the lower economic background. A number of students ended their lives as their parents were not capable to afford a smart phone or high-quality internet connection for the online classes. The Indian Psychiatry Society found that the number of mental illnesses has increased by twenty percent since the lockdown, and at least one in five Indians were affected. The pandemic causes job losses from most of the informal sector.
Millions of migrant workers were displaced and left with no job and food. Oxygen is in short supply so are medicines, the courts question the state governments on their efforts to deal with the crisis, help pours in from the neighboring and other countries, too late for those who already died gasping for air, but a reminder to all of us our politicians and the people, ‘Never declare victory till you know you have won’.

Article By : Anshika Barai

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