Editorial | A massive public campaign

After extending lockdown weeks over weeks till we have consumed some months the time to open up came, though qualified and limited. Given the pressures from society and economy, the decision to open up gradually was all understood. So far so good. But the spike in cases here in the valley has made some people think otherwise. There are some people asking questions about the enhanced movement of people in the markets, more traffic plying on roads, and consequently a mixing up of people in different spaces. This spike is believed to be directly related to this.  And doctors have now started saying that the stage of community spread has come, and the positive cases going up is a given. The question now is, shall we continue with opening up more spaces, or restrict the movement of people once more. A knee jerk response on the spike in positive cases, and number of deaths going up, would be to restrict people’s movement. But  how long can this policy of lockdown be carried on, is a counter question. So it is a catch 20 situation. There are no easy answers. Here one thing needs attention. If this virus is now in the community, and there are no means to take it out, we must be ready to see this spike in cases. That is something psychological.

Beyond this isn’t there a need to now educate people in a very comprehensive way about what could be the future stages of the spread of this disease, and how to manage it. Though much has been thrown into the societal well in terms of information about this pandemic, but education is something different than information. Education prepares people to deal with crisis independently, and in a very purposeful manner. It makes them deal with the situation as and when it emerges. After all how long can government authorities come up with strategies on a daily basis. Finally we have to prepare the population to bring changes in life style, making long term changes in the ways we meet and greet people. To this end government needs to think of roping in its various institutions, as well as civil society groups. We cannot put brakes on life for too long, and we cannot afford this spike in positive cases.

   

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

4 × 5 =