Putting the rights of the community ahead of the individual, administration in Jammu and Kashmir like many other states in India and countries across the globe, have been adopting tough measures by restricting travel, banning mass gatherings, shutting down educational institutions and cinemas, as in Jammu, in a bid to cut the transmission chain of the coronavirus.
There are enough signs of the coronavurus beginning to spread its tentacles far and wide. Days after WHO declared it as pandemic, Jammu and Kashmir administration declared it epidemic in order to be in position to use the law allied with the declaration. Drastic measures are required to be taken to sharply reduce the chances of a rapid spread of the virus now as has been shown lately by the China. On the other hand, Italy and other European countries failed to prevent the virus from gaining a foothold by not acting beforehand.
The administration in Jammu and Kashmir has been reaching out to the people and repeatedly warning them against complacency. It is also assuring them that there is no need to panic in the fight against the coronavirus while announcing measure after a measure. Besides urging people to make behavioural changes, the government has called for restraint and resolve. It has already announced shutdown of all services barring essential ones till March 31. Now it is sealing borders with Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh besides restricting movement on the Srinagar-Jammu highway. Similarly inter district movement of vehicles would also be restricted as per requirement.
Pandemics are cruel, not just in terms of the demands they place on the health and immune systems of people and the hardships they create for families, but also because of the economic and social disruptions.
It is imperative that science remains the cornerstone of our response to the pandemic and people need to follow the instructions in letter and spirit. At this juncture, the government should also ensure it remain alive to peoples day to needs, more particularly of those who have little or no income. It is also responsibility of all people, particularly those who have enough, not essentially surplus resources, to lend a helping hand to those who need it the most and ensure nobody sleeps hungry.
Fighting Covid-19
