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As good citizens, what is our role in a time of coronavirus? Besides following the health guidelines, keeping calm and being humane is essential.
The coronavirus COVID-19, declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization, has taken the world by storm. It has carried with it a trail of confusion, controversy, chaos, and saddest of all, death.
Quarantine facilities have been set up, travel bans have been issued by nations, educational institutions have been closed across different places, and many organizations have allowed employees to work from home.
Major sports events have been cancelled, stock markets have crashed, and fear resides in the hearts of many. Even Mount Everest is closed to climbers. There is uncertainty as to when this crisis will really end.
The British Health Minister Nadine Dorries, NBA stars Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell, actors Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson, and most recently Sophie Trudeau, the wife of the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, are among the most well-known people that have tested positive for the virus.
While US President Donald Trump maintains that he is not worried about being exposed to the virus, his contact with Fabio Wajngarten, a Brazilian official who tested positive is raising concerns. Why he is skirting the issue and demonstrating this irresponsible behaviour is a subject that needs serious thought.
As in the case of any such outbreak, we do not know what is actually right and what isn’t. As paranoia rules, we keep wondering what is the best plan of action. Health professionals have come up with helpful tips for the public on ways to keep themselves safe. Among the guidelines offered, what emerges as the most important one is to wash hands frequently. The result is a tremendous shortage of hand sanitisers, with consumers in panic mode!
Quartz, in an article “What hand-sanitizer shortages on Amazon reveal about global supply”, cited an example of how an 8-ounce bottle of Purell normally sold at $2.50 is being sold at nearly twenty times its price. Its heartbreaking how ethics have gone for a toss with opportunists taking advantage of the situation even amidst such a sad state of affairs!
In the midst of everything, India’s namaste has gone global and emerged as one of the life savers. Since hand-shaking is not advised out of fear of catching germs, the namaste is the safest way to exchange pleasantries. The state of Karnataka has even launched the ‘Namaste Over Handshake’ campaign to encourage people to greet each other with folded hands and avoid physical contact.
Dignitaries across the world have followed suit too. At the investiture ceremony in Buckingham Palace, Prince Charles greeted recipients with a namaste, fearing the spread of the coronavirus. With fresh memories of his recent trip to India, it was perhaps too easy for President Trump to resort to a namaste and say hello to Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar. Among others, French President Emmanuel Macron joined the bandwagon when he welcomed King Felipe of Spain and his wife with palms pressed together and a slight bow!
“A sense of humor is God’s antidote for anger and frustration,” goes a saying by Rick Warren. It’s true that humour makes us smile and brightens our day. Amidst a global virus outbreak killing thousands, the internet is flooded with jokes and memes related to the coronavirus. Some of these do make us laugh and help us get through the panic. There was this clip with an airplane flying with a mask to avoid the virus in the air. Another message warns people not to send emojis with open mouth through WhatsApp or Facebook so as to not spread the virus. These jokes definitely give us a few light-hearted moments.
But when does humour cross the line? The coronavirus has brought with it a deluge of unacceptable parodies. It smells of a sick sense of fun when these memes are tinged with racial shades or when they make fun of any disability. Those of us who have the values of human empathy and acceptance can never laugh at those memes.
Now what is our role in these turbulent times? Let’s take all precautions as advised and perhaps stock up on essential commodities in the event of upcoming shortages or possible quarantines! Also, wherever possible, we can minimize our social gatherings for the time being. And yes, as moralizing as it may sound, let’s be hopeful and positive, maintain our composure, and be humane.
So here’s a toast to keeping your sunny side up and staying safe!
Image via Pexels
Rashmi Bora Das is a freelance writer settled in the suburbs of Atlanta. She has a master’s degree in English from India, and a second master’s in Public Administration from the University of read more...
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UP Boards Topper Prachi Nigam was trolled on social media for her facial hair; our obsession with appearance is harsh on young minds.
Prachi Nigam’s photo has been doing the rounds on social media for the right reasons. Well, scratch that- I wish the above statement were true. This 15-year-old girl should ideally be revelling in her spectacular achievement of scoring a whopping 98.05% and topping her tenth-grade boards. But oddly enough, along with her marks, it’s something else that garners more attention – her facial hair.
While the trolls are driving themselves giddy by mocking this girl who hasn’t even completed her school yet, the ones who are taking her side are going one step ahead – they are sharing her photoshopped pictures, sans the facial hair, looking nothing less than a celebrity with captions saying – “Prachi Nigam, ten years later”.
Doctors have already diagnosed her with PCOD in their comments, based on photographic evidence. While we have names for people shamed for their weight – body shaming, for their skin colour- racism, for their age- age shaming, for being a female- sexism, this category of shaming where one faces criticism for their appearance has no name. With that, it also has zero shame attached to it.
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