Suggestions for combating corona

Coronavirus can’t be controlled but it can be managed and that too dynamically. We truly appreciate the dynamic actions that Indian Government has taken starting from screening of flyers coming in from foreign countries to continuing the lockdown till 3rd May.

Taking lessons from the mistakes of the countries like China, Italy, Iran, etc, our Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi announced an early lockdown which not only confined the cases of Coronavirus but also induced knowledge among masses about the spread of Coronavirus in India.

Some wonderful ideas, among many others, that already have been followed by the Government to curb the virus are enumerated hereunder:

• Lockdown – Lockdown not only curbed the increasing cases of coronavirus but also alarmed the people about the spread of the virus,
• Media – Media played a vital role by spreading the knowledge about the virus, social distancing and tips for prevention from Corona like wild fire,
• Policemen – Cops were posted all over India to control some foolish persons,
• Drones – Help of drones were taken to ensure proper follow up of lockdown,
• Optimum supply of necessary services – Necessary services like grocery shops, fruits and vegetables, banks etc were only allowed to remain open to ensure supply of necessary things to people,
• Control of Congestion – Necessary measures were taken to ensure no congestion at any place.

The manageable stage that India is currently in would have been unimaginable without this timely, holistic and integrated approach.

Though the Government has come up with several innovative and unique ideas of prevention and is coming up with new ideas of prevention from Coronavirus with every passing day but we cannot deny the fact that the spread of Coronavirus is still increasing.

This article is intended to provide Government with a few more solutions and quick steps that should be taken to tackle the emerging problems arising in its battle against Corona.

• Call for volunteers: Help of volunteers from the local area or wards (most aware with corona disease) can be taken. These volunteers can be made in-charge of protecting their society/ward. These volunteers can bring sub volunteer to create daily database on supply of essential service like food, medical and area wise people’s surveillance etc. Such Volunteers can be really helpful because they know the people living around them. If there are people who are making gatherings in their wards, then such volunteers can call the police. Such volunteers can play an important role in in finding out the persons that would probably have come in contact with the Corona patients.
• Hydroxychloroquine: HCQS i.e. Hydroxy Choloquine medicine is not available in the market as on date as it has been informed that all the supply of such medicine is being taken over by Government. This medicine is already recommended for many patients of Arthritis / Auto-Immune disease for a long time. Such patients have been taking this medicine since long. Thus, the patients of Arthritis / Auto-Immune diseases are suffering due to the shortage of this medicine. Government should therefore increase the supply of such medicine especially for such patients.

Note: Nether I can nor I am recommending anybody Hydroxy Choloquine medicine for Corona or any other disease.

• Strategic Finding: Though the Government is taking fierce steps in finding out the infected persons.

There are some people who get to know about being infected through the symptoms but they hide themselves knowingly trying to spread the virus. For such kind of people, I think Pharmacy stores are an important link. Trace the people through medicines they buy. Chemists should not be allowed to sell the medicines relating to the symptoms of Coronavirus i.e. medicines related to fever, cough, cold, flu etc without the recommendation of Doctors. Alternatively, chemists should not be permitted the sale of medicines related to cold, cough, fever etc without a national ID. People can be traced through that data. ‘The area of tracing the infected persons demands seriousness of the government the most’.

• Strategic testing and quarantining: Strategic testing is the need of the hour. It is not possible to go and test each and every person of our population. So, by strategic testing, I mean that proper planning and strategies should be made to search and test the relatives and close contact of the patient. Read the patient’s mind. Some patients would openly tell you the places they visited and the people they met. Some would be reluctant to tell you out of shame that because of them so many people could be prone to Corona. You will have to read their mind. Besides that, Mobile phones can also tell many things about the places they visited and the people they met. Hence, indulge in strategic testing and quarantining.

Moreover, as there is scarcity of testing kits, so testing kits should be used wisely.

• Checking Temperature: As lockdown is going to be lifted in many towns and cities w.e.f. 20.04.2020 and all over India sooner or later.

So, post lockdown, China’s footsteps can be followed:

A person’s body temperature is checked at least 3-4 times in a day in China at different places so that the person infected with virus can be caught at first stage of Corona itself, if possible. Eg: different policemen have been posted at different roads to check the temperature of each and every person passing through that road. Other roads have been shut to ensure that no one passes through any other way without being scanned. Thereafter, he is scanned at office before entering and exiting the office premises and then again while going back to home.

Government is therefore suggested to check the temperature of persons at every step and besides that new thermometers or some kind of thermal machines which can easily measure the temperature of human beings in seconds should be made compulsory at all public places like malls, metro stations, railway stations, bus stand etc. and simultaneously for all the factories, industries, companies etc so that they measure the temperature of each and every employee before entering and exiting the office premises so that the person infected with virus can be caught at the first stage of Corona itself, if possible.

• Ramp up the testing capabilities: Government has taken enormous steps in setting up more and more Testing centres and laboratories. Government is further recommended to hand over such work to private sectors & MSMEs. By providing them the required funds, Government will be able to increase the number of testing centres and laboratories multiple times in no time and that too in each and every smallest town so that samples do not have to be sent to faraway places for getting the test reports which is much time consuming.
• Arrange home for doctors: There are many doctors who are treating Corona infected patients and do not want to go home for the fear of infecting their family members. Besides that, there have been some cases where doctors have been treated badly by the members of the society for the fear of catching up the virus. Government should therefore arrange some place near to the hospital, if possible, for such doctors where such doctors can live freely and can work with more focus. A few State Governments have taken steps in this regard but a lot more needs to be done in this area.
• Thorough checking of Religious places: Government should ensure that Mosques/Churches/Temples etc be closed/sealed & no congregation is there which could lead to community transmission.
• Follow Kerala’s footsteps: Kerala’s coronavirus curve has started to flatten. Here are a few steps taken by Kerala’s Government:

1. Kerala was one of the first state in India which announced an informal lockdown much before Modiji announced it.

2. Kerala’s Ministers and officers showed extreme seriousness and quickness in finding out the infected, isolating and surveillance. They spent hours in planning and finding out the movements of the patients and finally reached those places and took quick actions.

3. They made teams in no time by inviting the volunteers.

4. Some responsible cops visited faraway places in Kerala to ensure that relief supplies reached at the farthest corner of Kerala (unlike Bengal where food supplies were not adequately provided to the poor and hundreds of poor people had to come up on roads for the want of food.)

• Strict Rules and Regulations: Government should make some really strict laws and orders towards spitting, urinating, littering in public place, or anything as such on road. It might take years to instil such good habits in the people of our society but this is the need of the hour. Further, such habits of not spitting here and there will also lead to cleanliness.

Besides that, strict laws and orders should be made for those who are misbehaving with Corona Warriors. The rules should be so strict that other people should think a million times before committing such blunders.

• Migration of workers: Some State Governments have taken steps in this regard but there is no consensus between the State Governments due to lack of Advisory in this regard which further aggravates the problem. Government is therefore requested to issue advisory in this regard which is applicable all over India.

The State Governments who have not taken any steps in this regard are requested to allow the migrant labourers to get back to their home as quick as possible because ultimately you will have to allow them one day or the other. Likewise, Government will have to allow the family members to get back to their families one day or the other.

So, it is suggested that Government should allow these people to get back to their homes but only after duly checking them and keeping them in quarantine, if required.

People may or may not die of Corona but if they died due to lack of food or sanitation problems or mental issues of being separated from their families or due to travelling hundreds of kilometres again, then that would be considered as a failure in combatting corona. Therefore, the Government should not make delay in this regard.

• Relaxations to Businesses: Businessman are forced to pay remuneration to employees even if they don’t work. Businesses are in bad condition due to lockdown and further there are many businesses who won’t be able to get back to its position for a quite a long time even after the lockdown. Some kind of relaxations like relaxations in GST, Income tax, waiver of interest etc should be provided to the businesses so that they can stabilize themselves on one hand and pay the remuneration of their employees on the other hand.

• Free distribution of Tablets: Government has already issued Ministry of Ayush’s guidelines to increase the immunity of people of India. Government is further suggested the distribution of immunity booster medicines and tonics which might lead to decrease in number of fatalities (deaths).

So, these were a few ideas to make our battle strong against Corona. There are various other emerging problems which the Government has already taken care of like regular spraying of disinfectant in medium and highly congested area and allowed the farmers to cultivate their crops keeping in mind the future demand of food and also issued Ministry of Ayush’s guidelines to increase the immunity of people of India and has taken many other countless steps like the above.

If you like this article, I request you to share it with Government authorities more and more so that such ideas come to the notice of Government and steps are taken in this regard. I hope and pray that India and the world would win in its battle against Corona as soon as possible. JAI HIND.