Sense of invincibility, irresponsibility — why people break quarantine rules

NEWDELHI: A sense of individuality and complete lack of concern for others could explain why India is reporting several cases of people breaking quarantine protocols in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak, according to behavioural scientists.

While a section of experts says some of these actions stem from a minimised risk perception, others call for punitive action to deter such flouters who are putting a large section of the population at risk of the fast-spreading disease with flu-like symptoms.

Samir Parikh, psychiatrist and the director of department of mental health and behavioural sciences at Fortis Healthcare, says India has to put emphasis on collective responsibility.

“A lack of social responsibility makes us behave like this. Altruism needs to replace individualism,” Parikh says.

From a student in West Bengal to a popular Bollywood singer to a newlywed woman back from honeymoon in Italy, the country has outraged over several cases involving people not following protocols and sending health officials into a tizzy.

People who are viewed to be potential carriers of the disease due to their travel aboard or likely contact with patients but do not show symptoms are asked to quarantine themselves at home for 14 days.

Patients tested positive have to undergo treatment at government-run isolation facilities.

Nimesh Desai, director, Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences (IHBAS) and a professor of psychiatry, says the act of breaking rules could be driven by the idea of an “invincible self”.