NO NEED TO OVERREACT
The Union health ministry on Friday said that Indians would have to learn to live with Coronavirus. This indicates that the virus isn’t going away easily. In that case, we have to observe due precautions and hence, there shouldn’t be excessive anxiety among the people over COVID-19 as it going to be a part of our daily life for some time, an unwanted guest that is difficult to get rid of. For perspective, the total number of deaths from Covid-19 in India is around 2,000, which is still relatively low. Compared to this, about 1,50,000 people die of road accidents annually in the country with 4,50,000 tuberculosis deaths. Just as we shouldn’t drive a car in a risky fashion, we needn’t take undue risks with Coronavirus. But this doesn’t mean that we should refuse to ride a car for fear of meeting with an accident. That would inconvenience our lives greatly, besides crippling social and economic activities. With testing going up and economic activities opening, India’s COVID-19 cases will inevitably rise. But the authorities, including the common people, need not overreact. Rather they should refrain from getting spooked by the increasing numbers of positive cases. Panic is unhelpful in the best of circumstances. As a preemptive measure, we would require an adjustment to a new normal of social distancing and proper sanitation that could become part of our everyday life for days to come. At the same time, we cannot afford to neglect other health problems and economic issues which are currently hidden by the COVID-19 dashboard. The fight against Coronavirus is a difficult battle but living with COVID-19 requires a smart, nimble approach. And the inherent responsibility is to be shared between the government and society. Obsessing over COVID figures hinders this very objective and obscures the direction we must move in to free ourselves from this crisis.
..... KHOKAN DAS, KOLKATA via email