235. Ten days of Lockdown (Curfew notes)

#Coronavirus, #SocialDistancing, #CurfewNotes

Part 1

As I said in the earlier post, the Curfew did not end on 31^st 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 22^nd March, was extended up to 31^st March by the Government of Maharashtra. Not only interstate but inter-district borders were sealed on March 23. The National Lockdown was declared on 24^th March at 8.00 PM and began from 00.00 on 25^th 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.