Take ambiguity out of the equation

One of the things we seem to have made our peace with, in the course of the pandemic, is the sense of ambiguity. During the start of the coronavirus crisis, we were in two minds about the measures to control the rate of infections. We experimented with lockdowns of varying degrees and shuffled between three-ply and six-ply masks. Later, we were caught in the confusion of enforcing week-long and fortnight-long quarantines, while experts were stumped on matters of spacing out the vaccines, from two weeks to three months, in some cases. Almost two years after the word COVID-19 has firmly implanted itself in our collective consciousness, having left behind the scar tissue of lives lost, and families endangered, we still have not abandoned our reliance on ambiguity to define the way forward. The Tamil Nadu government recently threw citizens and officials of the State a googly of sorts when it announced that vaccination will be a must for people to enter public places. The Directorate of Public Health and Medicine remarked that information about restricting entry to inoculated individuals only should be conveyed by the owners of such commercial and non-commercial institutions to the patrons. The order has invoked an outcry of sorts from several quarters, not just on account of the nebulous nature of the instructions (whether single vaccine or double dose), but also because of the absence of any clear-cut and logical SOPs involving the execution of such stringent measures. Take the cinema industry, for instance. Stakeholders in Kollywood had expressed astonishment at the rules about limited attendance, especially when just earlier this month, the government had allowed theatres in the State to function at 100% of their seating capacity. Several producers and filmmakers have written to the CM, stating that such a sudden mandate on vaccination will deter audiences from frequenting theatres and multiplexes. One of the arguments raised by the fraternity is that vaccination has not been made mandatory in India so far, and that children under the age of 18 had already begun going to schools, and many other public places, and that too without the vaccine. So how does the question of vaccine certificates even arise? Stakeholders have also spoken about the challenges of enforcing such norms at a time when even passengers entering airports are only held back for a perfunctory temperature check, while train and bus passengers travel without any such formalities. If each and every patron had to be evaluated for their vaccination status, then most theatres or entertainment venues would find themselves unable to start their shows on time. Nevertheless, many theatres and malls have started turning away patrons, who aren’t fully vaccinated, while private institutions and offices have been instructed to check the vaccination status of employees coming to work. Statistically, Tamil Nadu seems to be in an advantageous position as 75% adults in the State have taken the first dose while 38% have taken both doses. However, over one crore individuals in the age group 18-44 and 50 lakh people aged over 45, a majority of them being senior citizens are yet to take their first doses. To top it off, there are 72 lakh people in Tamil Nadu who are due for the second dose and haven’t taken it. Encouragingly, we have not witnessed any major spikes in infections in the aftermath of the festive season in Tamil Nadu, as well as in other States, which could be an indicator that COVID might have finally become endemic. Having said that, the way forward to rebuild back better must include measures that are clear, concise and future-focussed. A hackneyed and arbitrary approach to governance is the last thing we need at a time when the economy itself requires booster shots for revival.