STARTED WITH A BANG, IN A WHIMPER NOW

 

          In the beginning there use to be sanitization activities using sodium hypochlorite solutions, daily loud speaker awareness campaign by various groups and government agencies, months of country wide total lockdown, blocking of roads by public to enforce strict lockdown, entry restriction for outsiders in localities, free distribution of groceries to households, cleaning services, setting up community quarantine centers and a whole lot of competition to offer more creative and new community services among various groups and individuals in the name of Covid - 19. All these were initiated before any Covid - 19 cases were reported in most of the localities here in Manipur. When all the news we hear about Covid - 19 were as interesting as end of the world.

          Now we witness Covid - 19 infection among us just like that. There is no denying the fact that this virus is spreading fast and slow in many parts of the state. There has been a surge in the number of infection and we see no statistics when the curve will bend towards surface. In a time were people have tested positive daily, increase in number of containment zones, Covid Care Centres in all districts, doctors becoming infected and hospitals getting shut the general public finds no guarantee that they will be spared. Some had already circulated that Covid - 19 won't go away so soon and instead we must accept and be prepared to live with it.

          Lives have been lost and the weak and the old are in most danger. Our initial creativity and hunger to even give our lives in the fight for Covid - 19 seems faded. Compared to what we did initially we are almost in a whimper now. The government has spent quite a lot both through public funds and donations yet we see no light at the end of the tunnel. The only option we now see is to wait for the virus to fade away on its own no matter how many health and wealth we loose.

          Community quarantine is now shifted to home or self isolation, hospitals to Covid Care Centres and contact tracing to community spreading. This virus is only getting more coverage. The government is still reluctant to accept that community transmission has already begun in the state. Again, whats the point to term it as local or community transmission when we are not going to act on it anyways. Also we can't term it as incompetency from the government when most of us don't follow the standard operating procedure (SOP) nor help to come up with a sustainable solution.

          Or may be time heals, Covid - 19 now is not as fearsome as we thought, it definitely is not the eminent Snap of Thanos. Instead we are now in next phase of this pandemic. The phase where we begin to live with it. Yes, we did started with a bang.

Posted in: