18th May 2020 11:05:PM Editorials
Eastern Sentinel Arunachal News

The fourth phase the nationwide lockdown will be markedly different from the previous ones not only because of the fact that there will be more relaxed norms, but also for the particular reason that people who had been leading acutely uncomfortable lives away from homes will now be returning. This homecoming will be characteristically different as these are Covid times and the medical and administrative dos & don’ts in force are the compelling necessities indeed. Like entire world, the country has now known what the word ‘quarantine’  means in context of the still-impregnable pandemic which is exerting an all-pervasive catastrophic effect. As per protocols, returnees will have to undergo a compulsory quarantine either in state-arranged or in respective homes for a certain period of time before embracing the restriction-free ways of life. This has been the case all over pandemic-stricken nations and has emerged as an intrinsic part of the medical response. But, unlike the global peers, India all throughout the last three months has been confronting with a peculiar ‘syndrome’ that have its roots in the mindsets of a certain portion of society, a sub-stratum of which is surprisingly the class which have a certain level of institutional education. This has resulted in unprecedented inhuman treatments for frontline health workers and also those having a direct association with  the war against the pandemic. It can be categorised as stigmatisation of the worst order and now that the process of homecoming has just commenced, fear of its return in newer forms is palpable, particularly among the administration. In this respect, the appeal made by Capital DC on Monday do carry deep significance.
The essential part of it is the earnest request for citizens’ cooperation so that the much vital quarantine norm of the returnees is not disrupted. Presumably, it has been made keeping in mind what has happened so far across the country, all most-illogical and unethical by any standard. Doctors, nurses and all stakeholders who have been toiling hard to shield the vulnerable population have been ‘rewarded’ with threats, physical assaults and pushbacks from their respective dwellings and localities. This phenomenon has unfortunately engulfed a good portion of the citizenry and by now, it has been proved that even the stern administrative responses have miserably failed in its containment.
Arunachal, by now has earned a national respect for its ability in containing the pandemic in a better manner which has resulted in reward of the green tag. For furtherance of this reputation, the misconception that all returnees are sure carriers of the infection must be crushed in infancy.
The citizenry as a composite entity must make sure that the state’s own people are not subjected to any sort of harassment. It’s high time to help the administration.


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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