Umar bin Abdul Aziz
Lockdown can be defined as an emergency protocol implemented by the authorities that prevents people from leaving a given area. The people in the given area must stay where they are and must not exit or enter a building or given area. COVID-19 which has destructed the whole world and after 6 months we are still surrendered in-front of this virus. AS it is a Communicable disease, Government of Indian on 24 March 2020 ordered a nationwide Lockdown for 21 days and since from that we have crossed Phase 4 and are now in Unlock Phase 2 which is to be end on 31 July 2020.The result of Lockdown can be understood from the daily number of positive cases throughout the Nation. In our State, we are still under lockdown when it is Unlock Phase 2 in our country. Lockdown is not a solution, at least not from now onwards. People can’t be caged in their homes for indefinite period. Lockdown is luxury for rich, to a poor man death by COVID-19 or hunger makes no difference. Lockdown’s prima facie was meant to gear up our Hospitals and Machinery to deal with the challenges posed by this deadly virus and if that is yet to be achieved, then administration needs to resign enmasse on moral grounds. For we people the best way forward will be to inculcate the habit of living with this virus, what I mean to convey is that we must understand that it is a deadly virus. It is a real threat and has the potential to cause massive destruction. For example Italy,USA,Brazil,Spain are the living examples in front of our eyes and if we still ignore it then we are fools who are willfully overlooking this dangerous threat. Impose lock down after lock down, how long will we be continue with this issue .If our hospitals are saturated with few hundred symptomatic cases then that speaks volumes about the claim of administration about the preparedness to fight COVID-19.It is need of hour to gear up infrastructure and capability to fight the virus or stop this so called Lockdown. We can’t fight this virus by lockdowns alone rather this will kill people by hunger and other effects of diseases now. Our health is in our hands, please note that no drug therapy is 100% effective against this virus and no health system has been able to cope with the challenges posed by it. If there is something which has so far proven effective against this virus, that is prevention and only prevention.
Remember unless people aren’t educated properly no Lockdown is going to help.
Please follow all the precautions and guidelines issued by the concerned authorities. In this regard any failure or lapse on our behalf in adopting preventive measures will invite an inevitable disasterwhich will be impossible to control. There is need of Doctors, Nurse, Medical students and all concerned authorities to educate people about the genuine threats posed by this virus as long standing conflict has made our thought process so suspicious that, we now pursue everything as “Chaal”(trap or gameplay) and COVID-19 is no exception. We must not blame people if they think it this way; rather it is our duty to make them understand about the real challenges posed by this virus. If facilities aren’t geared up properly and if a massive drive to educate people isn’t started then this Lockdown will be nothing but one more flop show. Administration must start a massive drive to educate people about this virus by using mass media. It must utilize its men and machinery in every possible manner to reach out every nook and corner of valley to educate people about this virus. Remember unless people aren’t educated properly no Lockdown is going to help.
(The author is a student of Nursing in RGCN Jammu. Views are his own)
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