This Lockdown, Let’s Show Compassion Towards The Medical Staff

“If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.”― Mother Teresa

Yesterday, one of my Islamophobic male relatives proposed a “boycott of Muslims” because they did not budge from the Shaheen Bagh protests in the early times of the coronavirus. Even though the local demonstrations and others were recalled, the fervour still goes ahead in Delhi. It is only one aspect in which the “war” (war against corona) can manifest. 

We, the humans of Earth, are facing defining circumstances. Defining, because of how we deal with the challenges posed by the spread of COVID-19 will determine the future of humanity. It is essential to see the situation as a challenge. People are using words like “war” against corona, despite the inhuman consequences of wars we have experienced in our shared history. War fans the darker side we all harbour inside, and we are only a step closer in letting our animalities rise.

The result of such wrong usage has started showing as well. War calls for sacrifices, especially the sacrifice of humanity inside us humans. It’s not just the hatred we need to avoid, but fear too. In an instance in my State, a person who came in contact with a corona-infected person went into hiding. He was scared that the police might treat him high-handedly. The police are doing the job of protecting the society, but imagine how they might behave with potential patients if they are in the mindset of “war”.

The fear of possible ostracisation is pushing people to behave irrationally. It is the reason that people tend to hide their travel histories or evade medical check-ups. There is also an internal fear, “What if I am corona positive?” The concern is genuine, and it is not just in the case of corona. Being from the LGBTQ+ community (and vulnerable to HIV), I have experienced people avoiding HIV tests just because they are afraid to deal with a possibly positive result.

This fear leads to a distrust buddying among citizens. A person in my hometown returned from abroad, and was reported to authorities by a blue-collar worker whose services he had requested. Consider a situation when you believe that it is best for you to stay low. During this time of distress, you asked for the help of a trustworthy person, and that person reported on you. While the blue-collar worker did the right thing, we must acknowledge that unseen distrust is breeding in society right now. We already live in a very communalised society: the CAA-NRC issue remains unresolved, and we have just experienced the North-East Delhi pogrom.

Nothing can justify the irrational behaviour displayed by the educated, foreign return members of the society. Take Kanika Kapoor‘s case, for example. She is not alone. The same crowd that raised fingers on her was on streets during ‘Janata Curfew‘ on 22nd March 2020, sending the call for social distancing down the drains. They came together to make some noise with utensils, burst crackers, and created videos. The blame must not be pinned down to specific people and their positions must be approached with sympathy, at the least.

What went wrong with the “Gratitude Ceremony” on 22nd March is that:

1. People misinterpreted “coming together” in times of the corona.

2. People thought it was alright because the Prime Minister asked for it. They believed there is a government sanction behind such crowding. 

The worst thing that happened in the whole scenario is the wrongly-perceived government sanction. This points down to ambiguous and unclear communication by the Office of the Prime Minister. During such times of distress, the instructions must be clear, precise and limited. A vague “we should do this” was bound to end up in something like this, especially in a country of multiple languages (Remember, the PM’s speech was in Hindi).

Numerous faults in communication of messages can be pointed by a communication specialist; perhaps there is something for the Prime Minster’s Office to learn. Name-calling the crowds could not have helped us arrive at the above conclusion. I believe that we can put some blame off of the shoulders of Kanika Kapoor too. Had compassion been the guiding principle of the government’s message, had there been a message for the people returning, people would have behaved more responsibly.

After the gratitude ceremony, I also found people putting up status, “duty done”. Well no, it’s not. Banging some utensils can not absolve you from your duties. The “war” rhetoric gives space for ‘heroes’ to exists. I say it with full responsibility that doctors are not ‘heroes with capes’ born to serve humanity. Deification has stolen the rights of women, it will steal the rights of medical workers too. We must not commit this injustice to our emergency workers.

The medical workers are doing overtime, staying away from families. Think of the parents caring for other people, while their kids remain at home in someone else’s custody! These people need to be compensated for the time of their lives, for putting their professional duties ahead of personal responsibilities. 

Instead, we should set up funds for medical workers. We can do something substantial, like setting up crowdfunding, donating to any fund if there exists one. The doctors, nurses, ward boys, municipality workers and the entire medical fraternity deserve compensation in case of contracting viruses and in worst cases, dying serving the patients.