Editor,
India, intensifying the war further on Covid19 pandemic, has announced that the service of the Railways also would be utilized by converting 5000 coaches into isolation wards in a short span of time. With more than 4,500 positive cases having been reported in India by late Monday evening and death toll mounting to 135, there are stricter measures needed to combat the deadly disease. It may be worth noting that as many as 1,445 cases are related to Tablighi Jamaat. Had the Jamaat conference in Nizamuddin not been conducted, the spread of the Covid19 would not have reached this magnitude. The religious leaders of Jamaat may have had a prick of conscience now, and hopefully the repentance of having held the Jamaat conference may be hitting them hard.
On an average, 375 coaches are being converted by Indian Railways in a day. The work is being carried out at 133 locations in the country. The Railway authorities had stated that at the time of the lockdown, when manpower resources are limited, different zones of the Railways have done a near impossible task of so many conversions in such a short span of time. With the conversion of around 2,500 coaches, 40,000 isolation beds are now ready for contingency.
To supplement the national efforts in combating Covid 19, it is a good and novel idea to convert Railway coaches into isolation wards, for these coaches are lying idle and rusting with no other purpose. Of course, on a casual look the government can find other service sectors too and their services can be harnessed in different ways to combat Covid 19.
Meanwhile, as an exemplary act, an ordinance to cut 30% pay for one year from the salaries of the President, Prime Minister, Ministers and Members of Parliament has been approved. It is a good act at a time when the country is going through financial crisis too. For them, this cut will make no difference at all as they stand to enjoy so many other benefits. If government wants to cut the pay of its employees, it can be done but with a cautious stand, and that too if required. Many employees are eking out a living out of their salary. They have to pay monthly house rent, loan repayment(moratorium on loans means only deferment of EMI, interest will accrue on the deferment or late repayment of EMI), domestic( expenses on provisions, milk, paper, mobile phone/cable TV recharges, school fees of children etc), medical and other sundry expenses all to be met out of this. So, exempting employees who draw a salary of below Rs 50,000 would be indeed a relief to them.
The Central government if required can ask for foreign help including from the UNO. It is time for the Central government to act wisely and amass as much money as it can from the international bodies to tide over the critical situation so that people need not be put to untold miseries due to the consequences arising out of Covid 19.
Yours etc.,
TK Nandanan,
Via email
Risk communication imperative
Editor,
As the world trembles under the grip of the deadly Coronavirus, countries across the world are adopting different strategies to effectively manage the virus outbreak. To win the virus war and impending social disruption, there is need for effective risk communication and community engagement (RCCE). It is an essential component of health emergency and response activities. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has provided guidance on RCCE for countries to help protect public health. RCCE has many aspects such as strengthening risk communication, internal and partner coordination, public community engagement, capacity building, addressing uncertainties and managing misinformation. The reality is that ineffective risk communication and absence of community engagement will jeopardize effective control of Covid-19.
We are living in a world of “infodemic”(excessive amount of fake or wrong information ). This makes it difficult to identify and discern essential information. Misinformation originates from various sources. There is need to popularise official sources of Covid-19 health information. For illiterate communities and the non-medically inclined, there is need for simple and easy to understand information sharing. Information on Covid-19 should be made available in local languages and across various platforms.
Community engagement is a pre-requisite for risk communication. But it is more than just risk communication. Everyone affected by the health crisis that impacts their community should have a say in the decision making. Mutual decision making is an important aspect. Community engagement means to engage community to achieve sustainable outcomes, equitable decision making processes and deepen relationships and trust between government organisations and the community. Involvement of health-care providers would be crucial for a range of activities. Local culture, values, beliefs -all these are taken into consideration in community engagement.
Conveying accurate information to communities and community engagement are essential for effective management of the spread of Covid-19. For our anti-Coronavirus campaign to be a success, community engagement has to ensue on a war-footing.
Yours etc.,
Venu GS ,
Via email
Dis-ease at Lockdown
Editor,
Educationally, I feel uneasy. The lockdown has served as an opportunistic catalyst to many Edtech start-up companies launching their products that showcase online learning platforms with live classes and augmented reality experiences. Schools have rushed in where angels fear to tread! With our limited knowledge of computers, lack of effective connectivity, sometimes poor network and low bandwidth, I expect all our children and parents to get on board. Far-fetched reality! Still, some schools are doing their best and managing pretty well.
The uneasy thought? What is going to happen to the majority of the children in rural areas? Where are they with online classes? Who conducts classes for them? Will they not be left far behind? Shouldn’t education cater to all so that “no one is left behind?’’ Just asking!!
Yours etc.,
Br. Solomon Morris
(Principal, St. Edmund’s School)