#Coronavirus, #SocialDistancing, #CurfewNotes
As I said in the earlier post, the Curfew did not end on
31st March. We are now in ‘21 days Lockdown’, which is supposed to
end on April 14. Again, it is supposed to end. Depending on the gravity of the
situation, this could be extended.
To begin with, I was confused. Is it Curfew? Is it
Restriction? Is it Lockdown? Even before the National Lockdown was announced,
we had Curfew. Or was it Restraining order? I am not sure whether the original Administrative
orders were confusing or the interpretation of these orders (by media, by
self-declared experts on social media) caused confusion.
The first case of Coronavirus pandemic in Maharashtra was
confirmed in Pune on March 9, 2020. There were actually two people who tested
positive. On the next day, three more people tested positive. On March 13, Epidemic
Diseases Act, 1897 was invoked. Corona epidemic was declared in five cities of
Maharashtra; closure of commercial (movie theatres, supermarkets etc.) and
educational establishments was ordered. Public gathering and events were banned
on March 14. Pune Municipal Corporation closed 200+ gardens in the city. Barring
essential services closure of all workplaces was imposed on March 20.
Take the case of Pune city. On March 18, Section 144 of
Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) was imposed – this means it was curfew. But
later it was explained that this order was Section 144 (1) – which was specific
to tour operators, restaurants in the city. Later Section 68 of Bombay Police
Act was used to achieve the same. There was lot of confusion about whether the restaurants
were ordered to be closed or whether they voluntarily closed it – for three
days – March 18 to 20. On March 17, Pune Municipal Corporation ordered ‘closure
of all places that attract a crowd’. So, were the restaurants closed or not? Same
applied to marriage celebrations. They were not ordered to be cancelled, but
owners of the marriage halls were ‘requested’ by the administration to stop
bookings. Pune Divisional Commissioner
on March 16 said, “People related Section 144 with Curfew and think its
imposition will bring all movements to standstill. Nothing of that sort has
been invoked till now….: (The Hindu, March 16).
The National Janata Curfew on 22nd March, was
extended up to 31st March by the Government of Maharashtra. Not only
interstate but inter-district borders were sealed on March 23. The National Lockdown
was declared on 24th March at 8.00 PM and began from 00.00 on 25th
March.
I am just trying to document the process and trying to
make sense of it. It seems confusing even today. What this meant to me was to “Stay
Home”. I last went out on March 14 for Medical Check-up and since then I am
staying home. But I have a home, I am on vacation. Imagine the horrible time
homeless people and migrant laborers have to go through. Imagine people suddenly
stuck at home where they are not safe, and they cannot seek any options.
Looking at the timeline of the Corona virus, we had ample
time to be well prepared. But as usual we have messed it up and we are busy
with self-appreciation and eulogizing our leaders. Our medical teams, police
force, administrative staff and many other invisible people are carrying the
burden of the mistakes committed by those who had the authority to take right
decisions at the right time.
So, what am I doing? Well, doing nothing. I have always
been cooking, cleaning, washing myself. There is no house help for me, so
on that count nothing has changed. One day I got so tired of doing nothing that
I slept for almost twenty hours.
I used to take one-hour morning walk in the compound of
my residential complex. It has to be stopped. That meant I had now time for
bird watching in the morning. I joined ‘Lockdown Birding Challenge’. You are
supposed to watch birds from your home – everyday 15 minutes in the morning and
15 minutes in the evening. The challenge started on March 27. Curfew or no
Curfew, I always been able to watch 25+ different species from my house. So, it
was fun to watch them again. Once you get hold of a binocular, bird watching
can be an addiction. It is good to meet the usual species like Red-vented Bulbul,
Red-whiskered Bulbul, Black Kite, House Crow, Common Myna, Rock Pigeon, Purple
Sunbird, Rose Ringed Parakeet, Yellow-wattled Lapwig, Asean koel, Greater Coucal and so on. But it is
special fun when the White-throated Kingfisher sings close to you; Indian Grey
hornbills are so close that you don’t need binocular; Shikra is sitting
motionless; Little Cormorants and Pond Herons are flying gracefully; Great tits
(I am aware they have got a new name now, but I still call them by the old
name!) are chirping. And Coppersmith Barbet and Black-hooded Oriole is the cherry on the top. I am
enjoying it and I am spending more than an hour each day with birds.
I am using the time (knowing that most of my friends are
also at home now) to connect with friends. One call in the morning and one call
in the evening. Nowadays no call is for less than half an hour – so an hour spent
with friends is a good time too. I have friends in different countries and exchanging
notes with them and knowing they all are good also matters a lot these days.
There are some people who are moving out (with police
permission of course) and helping people – migrant laborers, old people, sick
people, people who are alone and need help etc. I came across some of these
groups on social media. One of my senior citizen friends in Pune needed medicine.
Approaching this group was an amazing experience. My friend called on the given
number, the volunteer came to her home with medicine. So, spreading good word
about this available help is also one task which can be done sitting at home. It
is a positive feeling to know that people are ready to help strangers without
expecting anything in return. I always have a faith in Generation Next and it
is good feeling to see them working tirelessly and taking the risks. I also
contributed some amount to one of the groups who are supplying food to all
those migratory laborers who are stuck on the road.
Though I have reduced internet time, I have not given up
it completely. Now it is the only source of information and communication. I make
it a point to comment on posts of strangers which are spreading hearted and or superstitions.
People use horrible language on internet, one has to learn to ignore it. But
when there are famous people posting rubbish, one has to take it on. For
example, when Avinash Dharmadhikari (ex-IAS officer) wrote a post about ‘this
is the time to attack and take PoK back’ – I also trolled him a bit. Another
example is: hatred speech. No sane person will justify what happened at
Tablighi gathering in Delhi. Those who are guilty should be punished according
to the law of the land. But blaming the entire coronavirus epidemic on this one
group is not a wise thing. So, I just tried to compile the news where people
have broken the #SocialDistancing guidelines. This will help people to
understand that irresponsible people exist in every group, every community. Blaming
a single incident is not the right way to look at the reality.
I also joined the team of ‘online volunteers’ with covidindia.org.
Though I am yet to identify the areas I can contribute, I am preparing myself
for it. I have also registered for blood donation and I have been given a morning slot on April 11.
And of course, reading. Now planning to read ‘Dhammapada’.
The Executive Committee of my residential complex is very active. We have 11 buildings and we have created building-wise WhatsApp groups for help and support. So, I know if I need anything, I have to just write a message on this group. They also arranged vegetable sell within the compound - every day two hours. Cell number of a grocery shop is shared with us. I can order the grocery on WhatsApp and collect it at the gate of the society. Though I have not used any of these facilities yet, it is good to know that they are in place. I am also aware of the 'E-pass' arrangments made by Pune police. Our elected representative in the Municipal Corporation has shared the number of medical stores - who will deliver medicine at home. So everything for me is settled.
Another 11 days to go.
