We are no where near the end of this long battle. And there is no option than to fight the battle, and win it. But to emerge victorious needs not just endurance, and patience, but a methodical approach. The good thing with method is that it doesn’t wear the effort down, and it always encourages to think afresh, devise anew, and apply things with a renewed vigour. So in this battle, that is being fought at many levels – individual, family, neighbourhood, and administration – each tier has to draw a plan and follow it in letter and spirit. At an individual level we need to keep nerve, exhibit patience, and observe the guidelines issued by the relevant authorities. At the level of family we need to be each other’s support and disallow any negative thoughts creeping into familial spaces. At the neighbourhood level we must ensure that social distancing is observed strictly, and no lax behaviour is exhibited on that count. If anyone lowers guard, thinking that it is not that important, he needs to be reminded of the importance of this measure. The most important tier is that of administration.
We can not ignore the efforts of the officers, and other staff at this juncture, who are out in the open managing this crisis. We need to acknowledge their efforts. But they in turn need to take it as their professional and ethical duty to follow the discipline of detail. Any small error on their part can have disastrous impact on the whole scheme. But the most important column in the battleground is the medical staff – doctors and paramedics. It is the duty of the administration to provide all the paraphernalia that is required. Around the globe we have seen how doctors have suffered in this crisis. It is time that the administration takes care of the frontline soldiers and make sure that they are not short of anything that is needed by them. If some civil society formations can also help our healthcare system this time, that would be a shot in the arm. But primarily it is for the administration to mobilise resources for our doctors and paramedics.