DOUBLE STANDARDS

The pandemic has driven people crazy, so much so that the Indonesian man’s feat, while deplorable, seems to sync with the reality of the times (“Corona-infected Indonesian man dons wife’s burqa, boards plane to escape quarantine,” July 22, Gulf Today).

When I say reality of the times, I mean people who refuse to get vaccinated or wear masks in public places. We have seen instances of people beating up janitors in malls and strangers who insist on mask wearing. There are also multiple occasions when government officials have broken quarantine protocols and gone on holidays with their families. What all this means is that health protocols made necessary because of the raging pandemic is in a way driving people into taking risks which invariably lands them in trouble.

At stake is also another disturbing development. It is rather easy to spot and punish an individual who breaks the rules. And in the case of the Indonesian man he will be charged for much more than a negative COVID-19 test result. That he impersonated his wife will atract a very severe punishment. But, what about super-spreader events which are sanctioned by governments?

We have seen thousands gather for the Euro Cup finals at Wembley, recently. Earlier, we have seen thousands in India throng for a religious festival. All these are in defiance of WHO guidelines. Yet, the government is never taken to task.

I am not implying in any way that individuals who violate guidelines need to be condoned. All I am saying is that there should be uniformity in rules. What is made mandatory for an individual should also be followed at mass gathering, government sanction irrespective. Such discriminatory policies may do more damage than good in the long run.

Rafiq Shaikh By email