Allay Inflated fears of Covid
Dr Ashok Bhan
The menacing spread of Covid-19 throughout the globe necessitated a prolonged preventive lockdown in India. The inadequate handling of Covid-19 in some countries and hype in the media has made a monster out of this no doubt highly infectious virus. It has created a strange sense of inertia, nervousness and fear of the unknown amongst the common citizens. It has diverted the entire machinery of the Government into alleviating the fallout of Covid-19.
COVID-19 can’t be wished away till a vaccine is found. Lockdown has huge economic costs. It has achieved its objectives and must end now. The exit strategy will need, first and foremost, to focus on allaying inflated fears and provide reassurance to resume work taking due precautions; attend to issues of livelihood; and give boost to entire Governance machinery at the district level to take disrupted public services to the remotest part of the country.
Spanish flu from January 1918 to December 1920 infected an estimated 500 million people with 50 million deaths including killing of 6, 75, 000 people in US alone. In more recent times HIV has claimed 32 million lives since early 1980s. At the end of 2018, around 37.9 million people were living with HIV the world over. Like every pandemic COVID-19 has also to go and will be forgotten. True, there is no vaccine or medication available. The virus can’t meanwhile be locked up. The only course left is to allow slow seepage of the infection till herd immunity is achieved. Early indicators point towards lesser virulence of the virus in Indian conditions as well as our better immune system having resisted serious manifestations of the infection. These advantages need to be highlighted to allay fear and despondency.
India currently has an annual mortality rate of 7.3 per thousand. On an average, every day, over 26,500 people die of diseases and other causes. While cardiovascular diseases are the top cause of deaths, communicable diseases like Diarrohea, Tuberculosis and Respiratory infections accounted for 5.19 lakh, 3.75 lakh and 3.42 lakh deaths in 2016. In a little over two months Covid-19 has claimed 2550 victims in India including 11 in J&K. So, Covid-19 is another disease, much less lethal than many diseases that already exist. The fear and stigma attached to the infection must, therefore, go. The protectionist attitude of ‘work from home’ and rotational attendance reinforce this fear. Secretariats of the Union and State/UT capitals may manage to ‘work from home’ through e-offices and video-conferencing. The delivery of public services to the nook and corner will require the entire government machinery to fan out fearlessly.
Corona Warriors including Doctors, Policemen, Municipal employees and many others have shown the way that there is no cause to panic. Public services have to be resumed to provide much needed succour. Some employees will get infected. So be it. Most of the Doctors, health workers and policemen who got infected were cured. We must build on this to mobilize public services in a big way. We must invest in readying work places compliant to social distancing and safety norms. The employees who are genuinely vulnerable due to medical pre-conditions can be identified and protected.
The UT Government needs to revisit its guidelines for passengers arriving by trains at Jammu. The relief given by starting the trains has been undone putting asymptomatic arrivals to Covid test and quarantine. The virus can’t be stopped at the borders of a state or UT. It has to spread. While best possible preventive steps must be taken, we must not attach too much significance to number of infected cases in a particular territory.
During the lockdown period the metros and urban conglomerates in India have received disproportionate attention of the Governments. The focus was on saving lives through testing, surveillance, isolating and hospitalization. On the other hand the woes of the unorganized sector and fallout of unemployment were not anticipated. The displaced ‘builders of India’ were made to fend for themselves from the virus as well as hunger and exhaustion. Once bitten, twice shy, it will be long before they venture to return to their workplaces. The focus must now shift to issues of livelihood and means to rehabilitate them. Existing schemes like MNREGA will need to be supplemented to provide gainful employment. Going merely by their numbers, this will be a formidable challenge for the Governments.
For best results on ground we must empower the District administration through delegation of powers and making resources available in plenty. Some ingredients of the ‘single line administration’ may provide clues to strengthen the district administration. The Districts must become the focal points of not only devising strategy on lockdown exit and healthcare but for the entire gamut of governance. District headquarters need to be converted into nodal hubs, self sufficient, responsive and accountable, operating within the broad objectives and guidelines set by the Union and the State/UT Governments. Identification and isolation of hot spots need also to be left to the judgement of field officers. In rural areas basic symptomatic treatment for Covid-19 should be made available in plenty in well staffed primary health centers and home quarantine encouraged.
If necessary, experienced Officers, with powers of administrative secretaries, can be posted as Special Commissioners supervising two to three far flung districts.
The pandemic provides an opportunity for working towards the goal of seamless digital public services. We have already achieved some landmarks nationwide in this mission. It will be an opportunity to fill the gaps in this endeavour in the UT of J&K. However, the non availability of smart phones and internet connectivity in far flung areas may be an impediment. Therefore, we must consider launching single window “Digital seva kiosks” at panchayat level as well as door to door “Mobile digital vans” to help citizens to avail online public services in these areas. This will be a long term investment in Digital India initiative. The premises of Public Sector Banks or Panchayat Ghars can be requisitioned for setting up such facilities.
Social distancing and the expanding use of digital platforms have changed the complexion of crimes. In the new scenario Police forces will need to invest hugely in training and creating infrastructure for tackling cyber crimes. The prisons and police station lockups will have to be made compliant to the new needs. Hospitals and other health facilities will need special attention of the police for some time as rush of non-Covid patients is bound to create unpleasant situations. The policemen deputed on duties which make them vulnerable to infection must have the required protective gear. The police leadership needs to ensure that fatigue does not set in as long hours in such conditions drain individuals physically as well as mentally.
Covid-19 is there to stay and we have to learn to live with it akin to how people live with heart diseases, diabetes, lower pulmonary tract infections, TB or even road accidents. Like any other disease, the patients with medical conditions and resultant weak immune system are more vulnerable and will require to be protected. The rest if infected will get cured. Social distancing and prevention needs to be made a part of daily life. Sometimes it is the fear of Covid that kills and not the infection itself. We must shed this fear. Allaying inflated fears of Covid-19 and encouraging resumption of public services and taking them to remotest corners must remain the most important objective of Government’s Lockdown exit strategy. The mindset must change to say goodbye to Covid induced idleness. That will be the best way to beat Covid-19.
(The author is former DG Police and former Member National Security Advisory Board)
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