Read an article in the news paper this morning, it was about the second beggar to be found infected by the covid virus, and how the city fathers and the prominent citizens wanted them to be moved into shelters!
This amazed me. It wasn't so much as the move, to move them to shelters, but more like moving them out of sight and away from the society. This got me thinking and it reminded me of a similar approach that was taken towards getting rid of stray dogs.
Prominent citizens were putting pressure on the city fathers to have stray dogs shot as they used to do in olden days, but then some animal activists and animal lovers made noise knocked on the doors of the courts and the so called city fathers were made to think of more humane ways of dealing with this issue. However the corrupt practices and the greed of these elected fathers never let the campaign succeed.
Coming back to the main topic, I think due to the fear of death which may knock on the doors of these prominent citizens, due to covid. If given an opportunity would have had the beggars and homeless shot or had them gas tanked.
The fear for our lives has totally dented our war against this covid pandemic. Initially people were beating up doctors and nurses who were treating covid patients, they were being chased from their houses and locality, the same people who were taking so much risk to their own lives and to the lives of their loved ones were being beaten up. But those Incharge of decision making were being hailed even though they were making blunders.
But why are we becoming so insensitive towards people diagnosed with covid? Its not like the want to get infected by it, some of us won't even know whether we are infected by it, to make matters worse its not easy to diagnose it neither is it cheap to get yourself tested. And for a place like india , where poverty is everywhere, its almost impossible to test each and everyone.
So are we doing the right thing by stigmatising the infected? Treating them like untouchables? Making containment zones like concentration camps without proper access to essentials? Is this the correct approach?
I guess not!
Stigmatising people and making them feel unwanted will only make them hide the symptoms and try and do self remedies, this may not only be fatal to the infected, but in turn, may end up infecting others. Also the government has to jump in making testing compulsory and free for all its citizens.
In case it has to have containment zones, it needs to put up clear working infrastructure that will provide all the required essentials within the zones.
Just being paranoid about the virus won't help us win the battle with covid, we need to be calm headed. And the government needs to work towards the welfare of each and every citizen, whether or not he or she is their supporter.
The government also needs to discuss the steps it needs to talk with doctors working in covid hospitals, scientist that work on creating a vaccine and cure to this virus, members of general public, food and drug manufacturing companies, transport agencies, NGO's and charitable organization that work with poor and homeless. Take all on board and work as a team.
It needs to stop other factories and business establishments from running operations, tourism and schools should be shut. And the government should provide every citizen with free food grains, water and electricity and remove any direct or indirect taxes it levies.
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