A Time to Gather Stones Together - from a Distance

Surasri Chaudhri

As the lock down goes on in India, which may need to be extended, an overwhelming sense of fear and panic has gripped our communities. From the well-sheltered, well-fed urban/ semi-urban people to migrant workers caught in the utmost miserable situation, everyone is facing something they have never dreamt of. We are all afraid of the little-known killer virus. Dissemination of scientific information on the disease, as it comes up, is absolutely necessary at this hour. That will not only help people know and understand the ways in which we can combat the new disease, but will also help in overcoming the fear associated with the unknown.

People have been asked to stay at home, but most people don’t know what other precautions they should take, excepting that they should wash hands with soap and water frequently. This is not enough to save us from a full-blown third stage of epidemic. Some essential points need to be communicated to every family under lockdown.

As people stay at home, they should be advised to keep at least 2 meters distance from older people, and people with chronic cardiac or respiratory problems, as far as practicable. This may not be possible in most homes, but minimizing the number of critical patients (who need to be hospitalized) is our immediate goal. Vulnerable members of the family should be particularly asked to use separate personal items.  

Sitting idle, locked up in cramped households for a long time and worrying about the devilish virus is enough to make billions of people mentally unstable and sick. If this problem is not addressed immediately, we are heading to a mental health catastrophe. To boost up the immune system mental health is of utmost importance. Doing at least some free hand exercise is absolutely necessary for that, especially for those who are not doing any household work. TV channels can telecast programs where light free hand exercise will be taught and people can be asked to join in. Apart from reading, writing and other creative work (which includes cooking) boosts up mental health.  Community singing from a distance can also be initiated. These measures are not merely to keep people occupied, but for therapeutic purpose.

People should know that in spite of being confined to their homes, they can get the disease. In fact, almost 80% of COVID-19 cases are asymptomatic for a significant number of days, and don’t even realize that they are infected. Most of them can be treated at home. Good physical and mental health will ensure that they recover easily.

Getting fresh air and exposure to sunshine is necessary. Opening windows and doors regularly to circulate air is very important. Asymptomatic infected people in a closed space can infect others on a much bigger scale. Sunshine will help in adequate synthesis of vitamin D on our skin, which is a very important immunity booster. Acute Vitamin D deficiency is widespread in many countries now, including India.

With summer ahead, frequent washing of hands might not be possible in many areas where supply of clean water is scarce. People should be asked not to contaminate open sources of clean water. Refraining from touching mouth, nose and eyes is of foremost importance. People should be asked to wash hands before they eat with hands, and when they need to touch their eyes, mouth or nose. Frequent washing is necessary for children, and people who are not alert, or unmindful by nature. It should be emphasized that washing of hands with soap solution should be done in the proper manner, at least for 20 seconds, so that it can inactivate the virus. Otherwise the whole exercise becomes meaningless.  

People must not allow children to play with their mobile phones, which is considered a potent source of infection, just like hands. Using speakerphone mode/hands-free earphones is preferable. Instead of washing currency notes and coins (some people reportedly tried this) washing hands after handling money is a good idea, just as wearing a pair of shoes to keep our feet clean, rather than trying to clean the streets.

Using one-time throw-away masks are a huge wastage for those who are using it for minimizing the chance of exposure to accidental sneezes/cough while roaming out. With approaching summer, it may be a comfortable and affordable solution to use a double/triple layered densely-knit cotton fabric mask. This can be washed well with soap solution and re-used after drying (preferably in the sun). This way we can save the masks for those who need it most, health-care persons who are directly exposed to the disease.

Last but not the least: In hospitals where only COVID-19 patients are to be treated, it is of utmost importance that proper distancing protocol is strictly maintained. Doctors and nurses should be given the best of protective gear. During the Spanish Flu outbreak in 1918 there was a more deadly second wave. Some scientists now believe that the marked increase in deaths in the second wave was caused by conditions that favored the spread of a deadlier strain. People with mild cases stayed home, but those with severe cases were often crowded together in hospitals and camps, increasing transmission of a more lethal form of the virus. Going through the history of Spanish Flu, often called the “Mother of all Pandemics”, with which one third of human race was infected, is distressing and enriching at the same time, because it reminds us that mankind has gone through such ravaging periods, and survived. 

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Frontier
Mar 31, 2020