Looking at the world’s infirmity in battling coronavirus, when with each passing hour, cases of both infected and succumbing continue to multiply exponentially, there seems no other word but to term it as a conundrum. Initially, it was anticipated that at the most, it is of a semi or medium intensity nature and hence manageable. But, it’s now a steep price that is being paid and half the globe is having a virtual shutdown with the rest waiting for the same. Finally, WHO has officially declared coronavirus a global pandemic and it’s very unsure how long this current indefinite state of fearful existence will last.
It’s getting really difficult to keep track of the global count. Nearly 1.3 lakh are battling, almost 4800 have perished and both figures are heading towards north. Such has been the levels of consternation that Tokyo 2020 Olympics which is still a solid four months away is facing prospect of a cancellation. Just like the global trend, numbers of those testing positive are on the rise in India too and by late Thursday evening it crossed 75, even if there are no deaths. Taking no chances, Delhi government has declared coronavirus an epidemic and as such all cinema halls there will remain closed till March 31. But although it’s no doubt that it’s a distressing time, WHO chief’s comment on Thursday has come both as an assurance as well as anxiety. While terming coronavirus outbreak as a “controllable pandemic”, he has also lamented the lackadaisical attitude of some countries that has resulted in escalation of the crisis. It goes without saying that India must take cue from the latter part of the statement and be extra careful, since, at the moment things haven’t gone out of control really. All precautionary efforts must culminate to that vital aim- it should not be allowed to spread at any cost. Every citizen must be made aware with the dos and don’ts, for which outreach campaigns of the levels seen during elections to convince voters must be undertaken.
All the laid out caveats must also be observed religiously by the citizens themselves and it’s time for all to live responsibly and act sensibly. While in the state capital there were reports of hand sanitizers running out of stock due to panic purchase, the dos and don’ts poster on coronavirus uploaded in Union Health Ministry’s website clearly says that along with hand sanitizers, soaps will serve the purpose as well. Propagating all these minute yet effective messages on a mass level can go a long way in the fightback.
But, at the end of the day, it must be understood that citizens’ participation will remain a key element. The sooner it is realised the better it will be.  

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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