GUWAHATI: The Joint Peace Mission Team, representing all churches of the Northeast, has appealed to people representing all communities to refrain from making “distinctions” based on rumours and baseless apprehensions at a time when the entire country is battling a pandemic such as the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
The church body further urged communities to collaborate fully with government authorities to ensure implementation of the safety norms recommended to curb the spread of the virus, which has already taken a heavy toll across the country and world.
“In a crisis of such nature, all differences along the lines of caste, creed, community disappears. It is very important we make “no distinctions” based on rumours, baseless fears, or the mistakes of some individuals,” Allen Brooks, spokesperson, Joint Peace Mission Team, said here. .
“While we strictly adhere to the rules of social distancing, we preserve social relationships through mutual concern, helpfulness, phone calls, social media, or in other ways. Some individuals may suffer seriously if they do not have such type of assistances and interactions. We need to be human at every stage,” Brooks said.
He said that we need to avoid hasty criticism and look forward to “truthful information” with regard to the real state of affairs and the level of our preparedness from concerned authorities. “This would prevent the circulation of unverified news and unfounded fears. We continuously need the encouragement of each other,” he said.
The Church team further expressed its gratitude to the entire team of doctors, nurses, and other medical personnel engaged in the treatment of COVID-19 patients.
“We are also grateful to all those who are keeping the essential services going in the face of enormous odds. We need everyone’s cooperation to keep the basic machinery of the nation functioning,” Brooks said.