Tungshang Ningreichon
New Delhi
As the world battles with covid19 pandemic there is panic harming us more than the virus.
The first positive case in the Northeast region was of a girl who traveled home in Imphal from the UK to renew her visa. Like a witchhunt people tracked her and details and pictures of her went viral. Her test report was made public. A picture of her hiding between the pillows while in isolation and a video of a doctor in her room with protective gears was widely circulated. The hate comments and trolling in social media not only stigmatizes her and the family but will discourage many people with symptoms from testing and people with travel history to go into hiding like how it is happening across.
The barricades and blockades of roads all over, even in remote villages is a reflection of how we are processing panic and fear as protection. People fleeing from racial violence, food and financial insecurities in the coming days and returning home to safety from the cities are being criminalized and chased. These actions will not ensure protection from covid19. It only makes things worse. We should instead demand the authorities to set up mandatory qurantine centres for travelers near airports, ISBTs, taxi stands and circulate health information, make food and basic needs available during this lockdown, make healthcare accessible to those who are already sick or is in need of it and take care of the most vulnerable.
In our communities we must share and not shun. We can make available simple protective measures and instructions for people to have awareness but most of all we must share resources; be it food or money in this time of restrictions and lockdown.
We can build support system and teams to help people adhere to safety protocols and protection and liase between people and administration and make up for the weak health system.
If we have to overcome this pandemic we have to do it together. We have to consciously make an effort and ensure that no one if tested positive is discriminated and stigmatized.
Let the 23 year old woman be the last victim of our anger and fear.
Yes, we have a pandemic to fight but we have to first fight the virus within-of prejudice, selfishness and fatalism.
May we allow love and not fear fight the pandemic!
