By MattiBakor War, Preety Syiemlieh & Mebanialam Tang
Up until 12th April 2020, which also happened to be Easter Sunday, the mood in Meghalaya had been generally optimistic. There were no Covid-19 cases reported so far and many of us had counted ourselves among the few lucky ones to have escaped the pandemic so far. The very next day, information regarding a Covid-19 positive case in Shillong started trickling in. Within a few hours, it had become major news, to the shock and dismay of many. Even more shocking news followed when the identity of the patient was revealed to have been one of the well-known and highly respected figures of Meghalaya. But it didn’t stop there. On the morning of 15th April, we all woke up to the news of his passing; the first Covid-19-related death in Meghalaya. By then, previous optimism had been largely replaced by anger and panic, brought about by lack of clear information and blame-game.
Following the confirmation of the presence of the virus, the state government took prompt action in sealing off the contaminated area and contact tracing, identifying more than 4000 secondary contacts and 140 primary contacts. It also sent samples out for testing, out of which nine came back positive (counting the deceased). And now the real question that lingers uneasily at the back of everybody’s mind is how really prepared are we, should there be an onslaught of positive cases in our state?
To begin with, there was no clear confirmation regarding how the patient contracted the virus. The official report dated April 13, 2020 confirmed that there was a positive case in the state. It also included the history of the patient in which was laid out the deceased’s son-in-law’s travel history. However, there was no information or confirmation as to whether the son-in-law had observed the mandatory 14 day quarantine period or not. There was also no official update that he had been tested twice and that the results came back negative both times. It was only made known when he issued a statement to the press himself. These were pertinent and significant details that had been overlooked; had there been transparency and clear statement of facts right from the start, there would have been a more well-informed general public that was less inclined towards anger and panic. This might have also deterred the public from subjecting the family members of the deceased to widespread defamation and stigmatisation.
The second problem that followed was with regards to the proper means of dealing with Covid-19 related deaths. India has recorded more than 400 hundred deaths caused by the virus and proper guidelines have been laid down with regards to cremation/burial of the bodies by the GOI. The recent problem encountered by the State authorities related to the burial of the recently deceased is not new. Various news outlets have reported many similar instances in different states of the country where the required procedure for taking care of the COVID deaths had been interrupted and stopped by a public that was fearful of contagion; states like Gujarat, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Tamil Nadu have all encountered such opposition. Surely, by now, our state government would have kept the possibility of such a scenario happening in the state and perhaps, been better prepared for such obstacles through prior consultation with and sensitization of the Rangbah Shnong and the locality residents and equipping the site and the workers with the required facilities. Another way of avoiding such incidents can be by designating a separate burial/cremation site specifically for Covid-19 deaths, somewhere remote and far from populated areas.
The state government had taken preventive measures since the outbreak of the virus in the country. It is commendable that there have been isolation wards being opened at different places in the state. However, in a statement issued by the son-in-law of the deceased, it stated that all the members that tested positive are still living together and are yet to be quarantined separately. It is important that there needs to be a swift response in isolating +ive cases to try and prevent the spread of the virus. Now the real question lies in how well equipped the hospitals in Meghalaya are to deal with the Covid-19 +ive cases in terms of PPE, ventilation units and other equipment needed for dealing with such cases. The need of the hour is to conduct more tests and to procure more testing kits for the state, especially now that the son-in-law’s results came back negative the third time, according to a report by Meghalaya Times dated April 16, 2020. This leaves the question of how the virus was contracted unanswered.
The recent incident has highlighted the lack of preparedness when it comes to actually dealing with COVID +ive cases and deaths leading to unfortunate events which could have been avoided, especially the controversy surrounding the burial of the deceased patient. In such trying times, people are bound to panic and fear for their own well-being, especially where there is lack of transparency in the handling of the situation. Thus proper sensitization with regards to how positive cases would be handled was also lacking.
Likewise, the general public has every right to be concerned about their health and well-being. However it does not justify the apathy and level of defamation shown to those affected, disregarding the anguish and pain that they must be going through. Neither should an entire locality be maligned for raising concerns for their safety and well-being. These unfortunate events should be taken as a learning curve by the government and the public. The government should work towards establishing a good rapport with the people, especially in terms of transparency and assurance, as a well-informed public will be more cooperative. Similarly, we, the people, should be responsible and adhere to the rules and regulations that the government has come up with. We should support and cooperate with our health workers, police personnel and everyone involved in the essential services. We should also refrain from spreading unverified information which could spark acts of hatred. More than ever, compassion and empathy is what is needed right now as we continue this fight.
(MattiBakor War & Preety Syiemlieh are Research Scholars, JNU & Mebanialam Tang a student, JNU)