The biggest question that arises today in anyone’s mind is when are we going to go back to normal? If we are to go by basic modeling that we can undertake, we are 12 to 18 months from getting a vaccine for this dreaded coronavirus according to leading experts; and even when we do get the vaccine it is going to be a costly drug that would be difficult for all the citizens to afford unless the Government takes the responsibility of 135 Crore Indians.

The basic modeling would also tell us that for a country like India, which is densely populated, where citizen are not trained enough to be disciplined (we had spent a fortune on Swachh Bharat & results is work-in-progress) it will be very difficult to maintain social distances until we really make it a normal culture. It will happen, but how soon, time will tell. ‘Hygiene leads to health and health leads to happiness’ mantra should be the new fashion.

Simple math will also tell us that to achieve zero coronavirus population we need to conduct tests on each of the citizens. We did AADHAR exercise, we have done the issuance of the voter’s card exercise, we experimented NRC in Assam, we want NPR exercise, so why can’t we do a corona test on each citizen in a phased manner? I see only one solution to arrest the community spread, and that is to conduct ‘tests’. Each citizen of this country should demand a test from their government right now than anything else.

 

Till we are not completely tested, what is the solution to these dreadful situations we have already fallen in the trap? The developed world is biting their nails repenting that they have taken decisions ‘little less, little late’. Already voices are rising in countries like the USA against the Government’s delay in understanding the magnitude of the problem and now the administration is openly accepting that their system was not prepared to face such an eventuality. Other countries like Italy has surrendered and had asked the world to pray for them.

In India, we have a ticking bomb that will play havoc if we as a citizen do not support the Government. We are just playing the theatrics and showing off the social help we are providing, discussing enough, the lockdown. But are we asking the tough questions or that we are not ready to answer the question- how long do we need to be in lockdown? Difficult, equally uncomfortable if not unthinkable that we need to ‘Quarantine’ ourselves for a long, long period of time.

Is it possible, it is feasible, what about the economic consequences? Well, the time has come to make hard choices, create a middle path, feasible balanced actions on the part of the population. The challenge is all said than done, but how do you make the population do the right thing, follow guidelines when our citizens are not accustomed to listening to directives. Well, the only way out is to communicate and do rich communication continuously and consistently. We need to try, and we shall overcome… 

Till we find a middle path, being in quarantine should be a normal and evolve over the period of time. We are soon going to observe various social reengineering taking place, this time the process would be at a much faster pace. The society would evolve over time. Stay safe.