Day #2: Do's and Don'ts during Corona Shut-down...

21st March 2020: We are a society that is by nature rebellious, undisciplined, against any ‘systemic’ solution and / or steeped in our own hierarchies to access and enjoy benefits. With the Corona Virus updates coming today, I am worried that these traits may let us down as a society and country currently. I am sharing what I have observed as a series of do’s and dont’s below.

***Don’t treat process as an event: 22nd Sunday 1-day voluntary isolation is not an event. Don’t reduce it to ‘celebrating’ Indian victory, it is idiotic to do so. We are not celebrating anything. This is not Rajinikanth movie to have sudden transformation in just a day! Use your intelligence, DON’T PLAN A PARTY AT 9.30 on Sunday evening!! PRECAUTION IS A PROCESS NOT AN EVENT MANAGEMENT. Tomorrow is the beginning of many such days.

***Pay the service providers: You may not use the services of the auto-rickshaw provider, servant maid, flower vendor, newspaper vendor, milk supplier, drivers, cleaners in the gated community and many more. These people may not be providing any service during down time, but, they are the ones who are dependent on the daily services to take care of their families. Pay them in full if you can or in part if you can’t. HELP EVEN A FEW PEOPLE TO STAY HOME BY PROVIDING THEM SUPPORT.

***Quarantine / Isolation is not beneath you:Don’t treat it as something that is going to only impact others. Your privileges don’t matter when your isolation is a responsibility. You may have used your privilege to live an undisciplined life. THIS IS A TIME WHEN YOUR INDISCIPLINE IMPACTS THE ENTIRE SOCIETY AROUND YOU, TREAT IT AS A CIVIL DUTY.

***Invest in Quality for Treatment & Care: Indians are known big time for compromising on quality, from golden tooth picks to govt. buying cheaper temperature measuring kits, we can do everything stupid to cut costs. But, if the toothpick cannot pick tooth or the temperature measurement has large margin of error, it is practically useless. We have both challenges. PLEASE DON’T COMPROMISE ON THE QUALITY OF TREATMENT.

***Testing is not a privilege: Testing need not be done for the most vulnerable across the country. We have a paucity of testing kits, we have been slow on that front and there is not enough testing kits across the country. DON’T TRY TO ACCESS THE TESTING KIT TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR PARANOIA AND WASTE IT FOR SOMEONE WHO NEED IT MORE.

***Zakat for difficult times: Don’t wait for Ramadan, see if you can distribute food and provisions to a few families now and ask them to stay home. The need to support people who are in need is now. TREAT THE SUPPORT OF THIS TIME AS SACRED DUTY.

***Food is not a Fashion statement: Nutritious food and healthy disciplined life are easy ways through which you can build immunity in the body. DON’T COMPROMISE ON THE FOOD. Isolation is not a holiday to junk, use the time to exercise, meditate and eat healthy food.

***Don’t hoard: FOOD IS AVAILABLE IN PLENTY in India. You hoarding today can cause an artificial scarcity for someone else more in need. STOP PANIC BUYING. Shopping is also a responsibility.

***Positive Message is Good, don’t make it a fetish: In the name of spreading positive messages, don’t fall victim to celebrating individuals beyond practical reasoning or go around with hyperbolic claims. The war will not be won by 1-day event, the war will not be won because your favourite leader cannot fail according to you, the war will not be won because of your ideology, religion, nation, caste or any other identity. SO, DON’T CELEBRATE PREMATURELY AND DIVISIVELY. This war will be won through humility, sincerity, honesty and dedication.

***Time is of the essence: This is particularly for friends in the Government. Govt.s in India have always been big time wasters, you have wasted time citing procedure, citing internal politics, your own inadequacy and ego challenges. This is time to put it all away. WASTED DECISION MAKING TIME WILL CAUSE LIVES. And it is in your hands. Don’t do business as usual and destroy lives and livelihoods. You can also make a difference by timely action.

***Don’t seek Profit from a Pandemic: Govt. has permitted private sector to do the testing, that doesn’t mean they can fleece the public and the govt. with usurial rates for testing. DON’T AIM TO PROFIT FROM A PANDEMIC.

***Communicating with responsibility is paramount: Don’t do panic communication, don’t do forwarding that is unverified, don’t share insensitive jokes about the illness or virus. DON’T RIDICULE ANYONE OR ANYTHING JUST NOW. People are living in their own isolated ignorance, just like all of us are doing! Remember, no one knows this virus or its medication anywhere in the world and all of us are trying. TO RIDICULE ANYONE OR TO USE THIS MOMENT TO SHARPEN OUR RHETORIC, OR TROLL ALL OUR OLD ENEMIES — REAL OR IMAGINED — just because we are working from home, IS IRRESPONSIBLE COMMUNICATION