Dr. Forqan Uddin Ahmed :
Home stay, quarantine and isolation — all are not so relaxing. In the civilized modern world people are not used to such things. These practices make life burdened or boring and at times vulnerable too. All these are challenging but by the willforce one can make the situation meaningful by its proper planning and proper use of time. These are the issues for an interim period. When the crisis will be over, the challenges will disappear. Apparently they may appear as challenge but with the better management of the aforesaid challenging issues one can see the good output at the end of the crisis. So no one should be disappointed or morally disrupted. The willforce, courage and confidence level will lead people to face hazards and crisis individually and collectively. There are other problems like leadership lacking, mistrust and misunderstanding which also breach the social equity and equilibrium. Under the circumstances the worldwide war has been declared to tackle the corona virus situation. We must fight with might and main. There is no way to retreat or fall back. In this situation one must maintain tolerance, mutual trust and sense of belongingness. With all these qualities, we can together combat the covid19 and face any turmoil situation. Otherwise, the crisis will be bigger and hit us with bigger force by which our survival will be more and more challenging.
During time at home quarantine, It is not safe to leave home at this time because of coronavirus. People should not sit idle, rather they must be active and do personal and family jobs. Long stay at home is monotonous. It is not a stay for stay sake. Home stay must me meaningful. During quarantine period one may spend time in reading, writing, learning, playing, enjoying games & films and recreation. During quarantine period one may involve in writing and innovative jobs. American novelist Ernest Hemingway began writing every morning at six o’clock. And he used to do a routine like a mid-level accountant. In an interview in the Paris Review, he said, “When I start working on a book or story, the work starts from the morning. No one has to bother, for the environment is quiet and silent. Anyone can enjoy writing at this time. ‘If work is done at home, then the most important thing is to make presentations or reports as quickly as possible. Sometimes it can be important to check e-mail. Maybe there is something important waiting for us. Like Hemingway, we must start work in the morning. Otherwise, we will have a very short time all day to finish the work.
What does the history teach us for the current Coronavirus epidemic? First, it implies that we cannot protect ourselves by permanently closing our borders. Remember that epidemics spread rapidly even in the Middle Ages, long before the age of globalization. So even if we reduce our global connections to the level of England in 1348 – that still would not be enough. To really protect yourself through isolation, going medieval won’t do. We would have to go full Stone Age. Can we do that? Secondly, history indicates that real protection comes from the sharing of reliable scientific information, and from global solidarity. When one country is struck by an epidemic, it should be willing to honestly share information about the outbreak without fear of economic catastrophe – while other countries should be able to trust that information, and should be willing to extend a helping hand rather than ostracize the victim. Today, China can teach countries all over the world many important lessons about coronavirus, but this demands a high level of international trust and cooperation.
International cooperation is needed also for effective quarantine measures. Quarantine and lock-down are essential for stopping the spread of epidemics. But when countries distrust one another and each country feels that it is on its own, governments hesitate to take such drastic measures. If we discover 100 coronavirus cases in our country, would we immediately lock down entire cities and regions? To a large extent, that depends on what we expect from other countries. Locking down our own cities could lead to economic collapse. If we think that other countries will then come to our help – we will be more likely to adopt this drastic measure. But if we think that other countries will abandon us, we would probably hesitate until it is too late.
In the fight against viruses, humanity needs to closely guard borders. But not the borders between countries. Rather, it needs to guard the border between the human world and the virus-sphere. Planet earth is teaming with countless viruses, and new viruses are constantly evolving due to genetic mutations. The borderline separating this virus-sphere from the human world passes inside the body of each and every human being. If a dangerous virus manages to penetrate this border anywhere on earth, it puts the whole human species in danger.Over the last century, humanity has fortified this border like never before. Modern healthcare systems have been built to serve as a wall on that border, and nurses, doctors and scientists are the guards who patrol it and repel intruders. However, long sections of this border have been left woefully exposed. There are hundreds of millions of people around the world who lack even basic healthcare services. This endangers all of us. We are used to thinking about health in national terms, but providing better healthcare for Iranians and Chinese helps protect Israelis and Americans too from epidemics. This simple truth should be obvious to everyone, but unfortunately it escapes even some of the most important people in the world.
Today humanity faces an acute crisis not only due to the coronavirus, but also due to the lack of trust between humans. To defeat an epidemic, people need to trust scientific experts, citizens need to trust public authorities, and countries need to trust each other. Over the last few years, irresponsible politicians have deliberately undermined trust in science, in public authorities and in international cooperation. As a result, we are now facing this crisis bereft of global leaders that can inspire, organize and finance a coordinated global response. In this moment of crisis, the crucial struggle takes place within humanity itself. If this epidemic results in greater disunity and mistrust among humans, it will be the virus’s greatest victory. When humans squabble – viruses double. In contrast, if the epidemic results in closer global cooperation, it will be a victory not only against the coronavirus, but against all future pathogens.
As governments try to flatten the upward curve of infection, we need special measures to protect the millions of health and care workers (most of them women) who risk their own health for us every day. Truckers and seafarers, who deliver medical equipment and other essentials, must be adequately protected. Teleworking offers new opportunities for workers to keep working, and employers to continue their businesses through the crisis. However, workers must be able to negotiate these arrangements so that they retain balance with other responsibilities, such as caring for children, the sick or the elderly, and of course themselves.
Many countries have already introduced unprecedented stimulus packages to protect their societies and economies and keep cash flowing to workers and businesses. To maximise the effectiveness of those measures it is essential for governments to work with employers’ organisations and trade unions to come up with practical solutions, which keep people safe and to protect jobs.
(Dr. Forqan Uddin Ahmed, writer, columnist and researcher)
