Who are the people and How are they getting affected by the Lockdown (Part 1)

We are in a 21 days lockdown period. We all know why such drastic measure was necessary. And we also know how it has helped contain the virus and flatten the graph up to a great extent. This lockdown has helped the administration focus on different hotspots emerging in the country and mobilize the resources towards containing it. Had it been not implemented, India would have been suffering a lot.

Having said that, the sudden announcement of all India lockdown and unclear/vague guidelines about the essential/non-essential services/items has caused a lot of trouble for a lot of people. The Prime Minister himself apologized for the inconvenience caused by this announcement.

Lack of communication and coordination between different agencies, incoherency between central and state governments has opened a nasty pandora's box for many people.

Today we will discuss, how some people among us are facing the burnt of this lockdown and how their lives have changed radically by this decision.

1. Front line Doctors/health-workers/medical staff

We all know that the front line soldiers fighting against this pandemic are doctors and different medical staff viz-a-viz nurses, paramedics, lab technicians, sanitation workers, etc. They are in direct contact with the patients and therefore are in high risk of getting infected. In fact, many are already infected in some places. They are risking their lives as well as their family members' to help these patients and us.

But, there are some concerns which has to be solved as soon as possible. they are complaining of lack of PPEs (Personal protective equipments) required for safety, lack of professional/medical masks, lack of ventilators in some areas/states, etc.

There are also incidents of physical/mental abuse with many of them. Women staffers are getting abused by the patients, people are knowingly spitting on them, there are even incidents where medical workers are beaten/chased by the locals while doing survey in their locality.

At one hand, we can't provide them with the required equipments/tools to fight this pandemic and on other hand we are letting people beat them and abuse them. And then, we continue to expect that they do their duty with full dedication and deliver cent percent. 

Now, you all tell me, is it fair?

2. Stranded Passengers

The announcement was made at 9 pm and lockdown was started at 1200 hrs that night itself. Many people were travelling from one place to another for different reasons that time. There were also different restrictions/shutdowns announced by different state governments too. 

This sudden lurch left many passengers stranded in between. I recently read a report in Indian Express about some passengers stranded in Varanasi Station and are being taken care of by railway authorities. Many complaint of their items being stolen, many want authorities to arrange for their travel to home. Amid confusion and hope they are waiting for the lockdown to get over so that they could go to their homes as soon as possible.

4. Students

As we all know, Schools/Colleges or any other educational institutes are closed for indefinite period. Many institutes have taken initiative to teach students online. But, considering network, internet availability, resources available to poor children, this is not going to work. The poor and marginalized will miss these classes and they would have to make up for all of this later.

Further, whole curriculum has to be revised to accommodate missed classes and time. Their vacations will also be altered. Too long break from studies will shift their focus from studies and then it will take time to season their mind to the regular routine which will already be tedious.

5. Tourists/Trekkers

Although there was a concern amid general populace about the virus, but India was in better condition so people were visiting different places. Those include domestic as well as foreign tourists. However, sudden lockdown stuck them to that particular location they were present. Movement was brought to a halt. With limited resources they had, they are managing things with the help of local authorities/NGOs and waiting for the lockdown to get over, so that they can return to their home town. Foreign tourists are being contacted by their embassies and many have departed by special flights arranged for them.

Trekkers on the other hand are stuck at their sites with roads/markets closed. Given their location, they are in much more trouble. Access to good food/water is a great concern leaving aside other amenities. Many have successfully contacted the concerned authorities and got help but many are still stuck.

*To be continued in Part 2*