The novel Coronavirus has badly affected people from all over the world. In February this year, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared COVID-19 as a pandemic. According to WHO, pandemic is the advanced stage of disease progression. It means that a disease, after affecting the population of the country of its origin, has started spreading among other countries also. Presently, the pandemic has affected 217 countries and there is hardly any country left from this disease. America, European countries, Russia and china are the most developed countries, but none of them are out of the clasps of this deadly virus. Rather, even being most developed, these countries have tolerated the most devastating impact of the disease and could do nothing to check and control it.
Presently there is no medicine, vaccine or surgery available for COVID, only precautions and preventive measures can help. These measures have been devised by understanding the process of transmission of the virus. There are speculations that the virus has jumped from bats to humans. But then thereafter there is man to man communication only, which is easy and fast.
Anyone can catch the virus with contaminated hands. Major reason for the viral contamination of hands is direct receiving of the virus laden fluid droplets from a coughing or sneezing COVID infected person. Touching the Corona contaminated surfaces, where the virus laden fluid droplets have settled down may also be the reason for contamination of hands. So, maintenance of one meter distance, wearing mask and repeated hand sanitisation is must to remain protected from the virus. The incubation period to develop the disease is two days to two weeks (average six to seven days). Only after the incubation process, a Corona positive patient will show the symptoms. During this period, a Corona positive person showing no symptoms can share the virus. proper precautions is must.
Precautionary activities such as wearing mask and hand sanitisation are simple and easily executed. But maintaining distance is difficult as it is a social activity. When you are involved in social activities, you have lesser control on the situation. Moreover, it is challenging to maintain distance in the existing system and design of the world.
Scientists from all across the globe are struggling to invent the vaccine or medicine for the virus but so far there is no breakthrough. With each day, the situation is becoming terrible, uncertain and fearful. Man has struck to a catastrophic confusion, where on one hand, if he goes out for earning, his life is on stake because of possibilities of exposure. While, on the other, if he doesn’t steps out to earn, his life is in danger again. So, the challenge is to protect the human life without involving people in economic activities, because without economic activities basic needs cannot be fulfilled.
Currently, there is no treatment available, so the only option is to learn how to live with the pandemic. This situation is not new for humans, rather, man is already living with different deadly diseases caused by the viruses and other micro-organisms. But the precautionary measures of these diseases is not so complicated as in the case of COVID-19. People who are suffering from the diseases like HIV, Hepatitis and Cancer, do not need to follow the strict instructions of physical distancing.
To live with the virus, current physical and virtual environmental situations and designs are not appropriate. There is an urgent need to rethink, relearn, re-plan, redesign and rework about the personal, social, cultural, economic, educational, political, traveling, hospitality and other activities. It is important to have one meter distance among human beings, when they are at their home, workplace and public places. It is simple to suggest this but its execution and implementation will bring heavy expenditure of money, resources, effort, time and energy. World is already passing through the phase of severe economic crises and management, mobilisation and spending of such economic resources is not feasible. Creation of the desired new normal is very difficult. To address this challenge, researchers, academicians, industrialists, economists, businessmen, politicians, social-scientists and others should come forward to work together and evolve the policies, strategies, programmes and scheme.
(The writer is Prof Rishipal, Dean Humanities and Applied Sciences, Shri Vishwakarma Skill University, Haryana.)