Hyderabad: With COVID-19 finding its footprints in India, the central and state governments have come together to ensure that it does not turn into a pandemic in the country. Following the success of Janta Curfew across the country, several state governments including Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have locked the interstate borders, canceled public transport and urged the citizens to stay at home.
Although the Centre demanded a total lockdown in 82 corona-infected districts, the public’s negligent behaviour is alarming. Prime Minister Narendra Modi suggested that legal action should be taken against those who violate the lockdown norms. These lockdowns are only the first few steps in the marathon that we as a country have to endure in the battle against coronavirus.
Countries like Italy, which paid no heed to self-isolation are now trembling with grave fear. The novel coronavirus, which originated in China’s Wuhan, has killed thousands of people across the globe. In India, the virus is in its second stage of transmission after first being carried into the country through foreign travellers. The citizens must confine themselves to their homes according to the rules laid out by the government to prevent the community transmission stage.
Since the state of public health in India is no news, it is necessary to take immediate measures to curb the spread of the virus in villages. The nation’s security lies in blocking the village borders and imposing strict lockdowns across all the villages. It is the responsibility of citizens and government to protect rural areas, which house 66 per cent of India’s population.
Read: Ramoji Rao urges PM Modi to insulate villages in India's fight against COVID-19
At a time when deadly viruses are on the prowl, quarantine is not a punishment but a protective shield. People who violate quarantine can in turn infect hundred others. In fact, quarantine is mandatory to prevent the spread of the infection from asymptomatic carriers. In China, it took six days for the first 1,000 nCoV infections. Four days from then to reach 5,000 infections and three days for 10,000 infections. It took just two days for the first 10,000 infections in the US and in Spain. These statistics prove that the governments and citizens cannot afford to be lax.
The efforts of China to quarantine Hubei province on January 23 confined the spread of the virus to Wuhan alone. The mortality rate in the corona epicenter Wuhan was 3.1 per cent while it was 0.16 in the remaining areas. This is where the quarantine strategy proves its efficacy. The way China blocked entry into neighbouring towns and villages by building barricades is inspirational. The same strategy is being followed by regions in the US state of Alaska. Even Italy, with a death toll of 6,000 has imposed strict restrictions on domestic travel. To protect India from this impending corona attack, the villages must be first safeguarded.
Nobody knows when the vaccine for COVID-19 will be discovered. At present, there is no concrete treatment for the infection. In the meantime, the governments should defend the lives of millions, to prevent a total healthcare collapse. Villages and small towns must go into self-isolation mode.
The number of fatalities from Spanish Flu in India was more than the number of deaths in World War I. It is time when governments and citizens must stay on the same page. There is no place for indifference. The central and state governments must ensure a continuous supply of essentials to villages and towns that are locked down.
Of the 50-crore labour force in India, 85 per cent account for the organised sector. The number of daily wagers is higher in the countryside. The sole aim of the governments must be to cater to their needs and prevent any scarcity of goods. If the Indian villages can be protected from the COVID-19 contagion, India will be almost successful. Only when every citizen moves in unison, the country will triumph in the collective battle against COVID-19.
