By Bhogtoram Mawroh
Much of the blame for the present Covid-19 crisis has been put on the government and rightly so. However, there are also personal behaviours of individuals which have led to this state of fear and uncertainty. These are individuals who for their selfish interest put others at risk. The best example is of those returnees who did not follow protocols but mingled freely in social gatherings before the quarantine period was over. This led to spread of the virus in the entire community. Then there was news of returnees who had done their testing at the Umling entry point but had given wrong address and contact numbers. Many such people later turned out to be Covid positive and the government was unable to trace these individuals. For sure they must have spread the virus within their family, neighbourhood and with individuals they had come in contact with. And then there are also those who were engaged in similar behaviour but fortunately it did not result into any untoward incidents. I was told by a friend that some of his colleagues who had gone to the Assam-Meghalaya border purposely avoided getting their tests done at the Umling Gate. After the visit these colleagues promptly returned to the office and mingled with the staff. Many of the staff had elderly members in their household some of whom had co-morbidities. It was sheer good fortune that there was no Covid incidence but such acts of selfishness could have been fatal for some. It can be said with absolute certainty that selfish behaviour such as the ones mentioned above must have been hugely responsible for the spike in the number of cases and deaths in the state.
At the same time, such attitudes have been facilitated by the Government which is bent on blaming people rather than introspecting. I got a call from a friend whose sister was trying to return home from another state. Since his mother had co-morbidities he asked his sister to delay her return. But like the selfish people mentioned above she refused to listen to his pleas. My friend informed the Rangbah Shnong and asked him to convince his sister to postpone her return till June. The Shnong instead of heeding his request informed that because of lack of resources the present quarantine centres are not functioning and passed the responsibility to the Block Development Officer (BDO).
My friend called the BDO and explained that the tests are not 100% reliable and there is a chance that the protocols will be breached which could put his mother in danger. The BDO stated that they cannot stop the sister from coming as it is a family matter. Furthermore, the officer chided my friend telling him that it’s his family’s responsibility and the administration cannot do anything about it. After some argument the officer told him that if the sister violates the protocols he can report her. My friend told me that he will definitely report the sister but what happens if his mother gets infected because of the breach. Will reporting then guarantee her safety in case she falls seriously ill? The Shnong passed the buck to the BDO and the BDO then passed it back to my friend. The person who broke the protocol will be punished as an afterthought but what about those who will have to suffer by this abdication of responsibility?
To be fair to the Shnong, there are some practical difficulties they face regarding the management of the pandemic. Recently, the Nongthymmai Dorbar informed that they cannot run the quarantine centres because of lack of funds. This was the same case for my friend’s Shnong as well since they have not been paid for the expenses incurred last year. Without the centres the only option left is for home quarantine which may not be possible in some cases and for those that are able to do as well, there is a high chance of protocols being violated. This is not hypothetical, it has already happened as mentioned in the beginning. What happens if such breaches are not reported? How many families are going to report on their own? If the quarantine centres were functioning such dilemmas would have been addressed and a lot of heartburn and tears could have been avoided.
The government will argue that there is shortage of funds. However, news reports revealed that revenue collection did not suffer because of Covid-19. In fact it saw a rise. So there should be some money that can be spent on measures to control the virus. What about the MLA funds and money from other heads? Since this is an emergency and if the spread of the virus is contained the economy is certain to suffer. This will increase the financial burden of the State in the future. Can these funds not be accessed so that such a situation can be avoided? Money spent now is money saved for later. Or is this another attempt by the Government to abdicate its responsibility and then blame the people? In such a case, why not then dismantle the whole institution and let people look after themselves. If the lessons of self-responsibility are what the Government is trying to preach its own citizens why should they enjoy the taxpayers’ money? Is that not hypocrisy?
And then there is sheer ineptitude in what is being done as well. To come back to the Umling Gate, it is surprising as to how the returnees were able to give false information. Even if they did so I am sure all those who are tested were photographed or their faces are visible on CCTV cameras. I have not been to the Umling Gate so I don’t know how it works but I will be surprised if such simple procedures are not in place. Those who do give wrong information can then be traced by submitting the pictures to the Police and local administration which includes the Dorbar Shnong. Right after the news of people giving wrong information broke out, another friend called me who was at the Umling Gate with her baby. She had been stuck at the Gate for over 4 hours and was told that test she had done was not reliable and they had to repeat it. And then there was the revelation that false reports were being sold at centre. The Government has admitted the same. In fact the Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong proclaimed that the Government knew about this malpractice from the very first day itself. Granted a crisis is a good opportunity to make money. That is common knowledge. The important question, however, is how come there was no mechanism in place to make sure that this did not happen? After all, if those who are positive are given the negative certificate, they can spread the virus to others in their family and the community.
Recently I came across an interview where it was revealed that INSACOG (Indian SARS-Cov-2 Genomic Consortium) had warned the Indian Government as early as March 2021 that a second wave was imminent and the dangers the new variants posed. Apparently from what transpired it seems that the warning was not heeded and the country is facing an unmitigated crisis because of it. And before this is over millions will be dead. There is no doubt that the deaths and sufferings in the country were avoidable if those in positions of power had taken note. There are those who would say that it was arrogance which has created this situation. I differ. This was not arrogance but wilful criminal negligence. This was the same case with our own State Government which was busy aping the national political behaviour, not strengthening the prevention measures and blaming the citizens instead. There is no doubt, as explained above, that selfish behaviour on the part of many private individuals is responsible for the crisis we are facing right now. But it is for this very reason that the Government has been given the mandate to check the worst impulses of individuals’ especially in times of crisis. That is the purpose of the institution and it has to do its job.
In the end what is to happen? Who will my friend blame if something goes wrong and his mother contracts the virus? His sister? The Shnong? The BDO? The State Government? The Indian Government? And will it matter? Most probably he will end up blaming himself and live with the guilt.
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