'Stay At Home! Quarantine!'
Social media does come out with the most unbelievable
videos. The other day, when I was browsing, the title leapt out at me.
“World's Shortest Horror Movie”
Being a horror buff, I couldn’t help but peek at it. It
was truly horrific.
Several passengers wait at a bus stop on a rainy day. As
they huddle together, one of them coughs and spits into a large puddle on the
road right in front of them. Suddenly a bus speeds by over the puddle,
drenching all of them in water, and in today’s scenario, maybe even a virus
that could infect them all. Horrific, indeed! For those wanting a peek, here's the YouTube link:
Corona virus is in the air, literally. And in droplets
and infected hands and all surfaces in the world touched by humans. One glance
around would make you feel as if you are in a sci-fi movie, with masked minions
whose eyes dart around in trepidation. Spaces which were once crowded are now
deserted, shelves in supermarkets as bare as Old Mother Hubbard’s cupboard. Airports
are cancelling empty flights, while travellers sit, cowering in remote corners,
hoping against hope that they are not seated next to coughing or feverish passengers.
Different governments have geared up to fight the virus
in varying degrees. While many nations struggle to contain the virus, India, I
am proud to say, is at the forefront, with Kerala, I am even prouder to say,
being the epitome of efficiency. The erstwhile Nipah virus, which was more virulent,
was handled wonderfully by the tiny state and contained. Those lessons have
come in handy today in the days of Covid-19 as well.
In general, the population is taking all precautions
possible to remain uninfected. Washing hands with soap and water, using alcohol-based
sanitizers, refraining from touching their faces often, using Namastes instead
of the usual hugs, and remaining glued to every health update that comes from
the government.
However, the human race does have its share of idiots, in
many cases, educated ones, who think that they are a rung above the rest. It is
these people who sneak out of airports, hospitals and quarantine centres, thinking
inanely that the sky will not fall on their heads. Albert Einstein put it, “Two
things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about
the universe.
Take the example of three folks who deliberately omitted to
mention to the Cochin airport authorities that they had been to Italy, because
they had finally boarded from Oman. One would think that once they had sneaked
out, they would stay in hibernation and refrain from floating all around the city.
No such luck. These characters went to a mall, attended a church function, and
walked into every relative’s house in the vicinity. Tracking their trail was an
onerous task, but it was done as a huge number of unsuspecting people came
under the scanner.
What about the wife of a Bangalore techie who escaped to
Agra the moment her husband displayed symptoms of being infected? They had honeymooned
somewhere in Europe and once he was in quarantine, she made a run for it and
disappeared. Sadly, she did not leave out any mode of travel; she took a flight
from Bangalore to New Delhi, embarked on a train to Agra and finally got to her
parents’ home by cab. One cannot even imagine the number of people she infected
on her madcap adventure.
Finally, when the health officials traced her to her
parents’ home, her father tried to put them off the trail, insisting that she
had gone back to Bangalore. She was discovered inside the house in the company
of eight other family members, and it took the presence of a District Magistrate
to get them forcibly across to the district hospital for screening.
Shakespeare had something to say in such a situation. “Both
stupidity and wisdom are as infective as the flu.” In the above case, one does
not need to be a genius to figure out which category the subject falls into.
One British gentleman sauntered out from the hill station
of Munnar in Kerala where he had been under quarantine and made his way to
Cochin airport where he was tracked down by health officials after having
tested positive for Corona virus. Seventeen others in his group are also under
quarantine. 250 passengers who had boarded the flight were taken off, made to
undergo tests and they finally took off, amidst frayed tempers and the realization
that inanity makes the world go around, even if it was after four hours of
delay.
My sister had a different story to tell me about a
colleague of hers who went abroad, came back via Germany and was told not to
come in to work. Fourteen days of quarantine stretched before her like a never-ending
highway of fun and frolic and she went off to the nearest skating rink to work
off all that energy. By the time she returned home, she had not only developed
a cough and a fever, but also infected all those unwary skaters who had no idea
how close they had come to stupidity.
When, at the beginning, the Creator was giving out body
parts, grey matter must have been in short supply. How else does one explain
why certain people behave the way they do, given that they are in the midst of
a global crisis? Is it because they feel that the world revolves around them or
that they are invincible? Whatever the cause, when there is a pandemic on,
there is no gainsaying the fact that a few irresponsible folks can cause a whole
lot of damage by pretending to be ‘cool’. Such people need to be prosecuted,
especially if they have put others in danger through their selfishness.
There is a huge group of like-minded people in the world today,
slogging to contain the spread of this virus – the medical community, the
travel community, the airline staff, scientists, laboratory testers, Anganwadi
workers, good Samaritans making masks, sanitizers and liquid soap for hospitals
and for the general public, educators, shopkeepers… all significant links in
holding the community together. Hats off to these amazing, benevolent people!
The common slogan is, “Stay at home! Don’t expose
yourself to large crowds. Maximise social distancing.” Weddings, large parties,
gatherings and celebrations have been brought down significantly. However, just
when one decides to heave a sigh of relief that the virus is being contained,
there comes a news item of some religious event that cannot be curtailed
because it would hurt the sentiments of the said community. Hearts sink at the
sight of hordes of people getting together with one common thought. “God will not
harm us, because we are performing this ceremony with reverence and faith.”
Unfortunately, the Corona virus appears to have a mind of
its own. It spreads with alacrity, from person to person, through a random
sneeze, a chance hug or an innocuous kiss. The fact remains that God helps
those who help themselves, and if keeping away from large crowds is what helps
us, then that is what God wants us to do as well. Friedrich Schiller obviously
meant what he said. “Against stupidity, the gods themselves contend in vain.”
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