‘To the rest of the world, you don’t know what’s coming’, These are the words of an Italian citizen Jason Yanowitz. Jason in his tweet threads has listed six stages of the pandemic which engulfed Italy. His tweet has been translated into many languages and is being circulated worldwide. He writes that in only five days the situation escalated from stage one to six. The purpose of the tweet is not to create irrational fear but to change the negligent attitude of the people to a more attentive one. What made Jason write the tweet is the denial in which people all around the world are.
Collective Obligation
It doesn’t mean that you should fear the pandemic but being completely careless is not going to help either. The majority thinks that the elderly person is at risk and only they have to be in quarantine while they(youths) can treat the lockdown as holidays. It is true that old people are at higher risk but one should remember that the one with no symptoms of the pandemic can be a carrier(super spreaders) of the virus. The virulence of the virus is high at two to four. It means one person can infect two and two will infect four and so on. Now what this rate of infectious can do is certainly visible in Italy and other parts of the world.
Floor Test of Governance
You can’t accept that the government has the sole responsibility to contain the pandemic.
From the UK government’s proposal to implementation of ‘nudge theory’ and herd immunity to Maharashtra govt stamping on people hands to make a quarantined person easily recognizable. They are already doing whatever they can in their best capacity. It is our collective responsibility more to curb the virus than the government.
Demolished Healthcare System
There have been many outbreaks in the past and Coronavirus is not a completely alien disease to humanity. It has been here for decades. And by looking at the mortality rates, it can be said that it is not that deadly. The death toll is rising steeply with Italy and at the time of writing stands at 768 deaths in a single day, the deadliest than Wuhan took the total casualty to 10000 (more than the whole of Europe combined.) Lombardy region of Italy which have been praised for its top-notch health care facilities by WHO will soon not be able to treat people as they are at a scarcity of ICU beds. Healthcare employees have been working continuously and there are no shift breaks that leave them burned out. Working restlessly in such horrific conditions where you helplessly watch sufferings and deaths due to lack of services is enough to give one a long-lasting trauma.
The fear of catching a virus can make some people hypochondriacs or ‘worried well’ sprinting to the hospital for mere sneezing. This will put additional load on already outweighed health care services.
Crippling Economy
The pandemic has hit hard on the other aspects of life with varying degrees. Because of the shutdown, the economy has crippled, People’s livelihoods are lost, supplies are vanishing from the shelves of stores. The fear of uncertainty has led people to stress shopping or panic buying and hoarding of essential as well as common supplies like the toilet paper to gain a sense of control over the situation. Grocery stores have to put a limit on the purchase of some products and hire security to guard the aisles. There is some news of looting and other crimes too.
Looking into the abyss
Our mind is built to process any situation with certainty and the absence of it can generate fear. This fear of uncertainty can have adverse effects on our mental health.
The fear lies in the lack of knowledge and with this comes the sense of lack of control over the situation ultimately leading to anxiety due to stress. Human beings are social species. We have a tendency to imitate others and our brain is hardwired to respond to any stressful situation just like the other irrationally which can be seen in the case of disappearing toilet paper. This is called the herd instinct present since the evolution of the human being made more acute by social media and news channels. In today’s electronic world information on almost anything is on the fingertips. The Internet has knowledge galore. We should use this knowledge to make ourselves aware and curb the fake rumors that are being circulated on social media platforms. Especially Indian media is only showing the 30000+ casualties but seldom they talk that more than 1lacs+ has recovered and discharged. Showing only the negative side will create unusual chaos only making the situation worse.
Stay fit physically and mentally
Social Distance is the most effective antidote to contain the pandemic as it breaks the chain and stops the spread.
But being a social being, the quarantine can be exhausting mentally as our social contact has been cut unexpectedly. Depression can rear its ugly head during this time leading to bad physical health as our immune system is affected directly by our mental health. But there are ways to make the most of the quarantine and keep mental problems in check like-
Pick up that hobby you’ve put on hold because of the time crisis like learning guitar or a German-language etc.
Take this opportunity and make it an invaluable and memorable one by spending quality time with family because surely it’s that precious time when the whole family has gathered so do the things you would have been looking to do with the whole family like watching movies or catching up with their lives.
You can’t meet your friends but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any other ways. Get on a video/audio conference calls and engage in a healthy conversation. For a start, make plans after the quarantine is over.
Read books, write poetries or note down your day to day happenings of daily lives in the diary. Years from now when you’ll come around it, you’ll get an insight into your old self and joy that how well you managed yourself and your family.
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