By ANJALI CHAUHAN
I remember when I got to know for the first time about corona virus outbreak in Wuhan through a newspaper and it gave me a shiver down the spine. And after a month or so, cases started appearing in India as well and eventually started growing by leaps and bounds. So, the starting few days with corona were depressingly dark. But, as the days progressed, we kind of developed a habit in a way or the other to live with it. It was pretty much difficult for all of us but to face it with audacity was the only way to get through. In the nascent stage of the corona outbreak, the government exercised complete lockdown in the country to cut the cords so that it does not spread like a wildfire.
It was a much needed move also, as demanded by the situation. However, the opportunity cost of this lengthy lockdown was an arm and a leg. But we were ready to pay this humongous cost as there is nothing worth giving up your life.
But, today, when we all are in phase three of the lockdown, things seem a little familiar to us and less scary as compared to earlier. This is simply because when we hear or see things from far away, they seem to make us fearful. But as soon as they come in our proximity, our mind and body automatically prepare to face it, provided we remain in an optimistic spirit.
Over the previous month, a few terminologies having been making the rounds – social distancing, quarantine, self-isolation and many such. And also, each individual while going outdoors for any essentials or to answer an emergency is being made to practice certain rules, like wearing a mask, gloves, time to time sanitisation, maintaining distance, etc. So, now it seems kind of fed into our mind and action. We have become accustomed to these practices which is a commendable achievement to fight against corona.
Now we really need to learn to live with Corona because it’s still a hard nut to crack. Till when is it going to last?
Now government has marked and given colour coding to the areas based on the severity. And, as the economy is facing an insanely high slowdown, in response to it, government has planned to lift the lockdown in a phased manner.
And here our role becomes equally important that we adhere to the guidelines religiously.
The invisible enemy is still there but the situation does not allow all of us to sit and watch. So, people working from home are privileged enough to take good care of themselves, while people who are to work from offices need to take all the necessary precautions and raise immunity to fight against the devil.
And the entire success rests on the amount of cooperation we will give.
And let’s practice Physical distancing not Social Distancing.
No matter whether it’s green, orange or red zone, the few things that should be ensured are use of personal protective equipment (PPE) such as face mask, pair of gloves, head cover and physical distancing.
It should be kept in mind we are only half way through. The other half, the difficult one, is yet to be conquered.
So, let’s be patient and disciplined so that the sacrifices we all have made are not squandered away.
(The writer works in Azim Premji Foundation which is primarily focused on education. She has experience of working in the hilly terrains of Himalaya. She is passionate about environment and interconnections between education and environment preservation).
