Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan must be commended for saying that “extraordinary circumstances” must draw “extraordinary responses” and that no religion or God would say put lives at risk for the sake of festivals. This is important considering the festival season is upon us and Navratri is starting this week and will be followed by Durga Puja, Dussehra and Diwali, to name a few. When in March the world was told about the pandemic, no one would have imagined that the abnormality would continue for so long. But it has and in the last few months innumerable people have lost their lives and livelihoods, making 2020 an incredibly broken and sad year. These are indeed extraordinary times. These are hard times and keeping celebrations low key one year is the need of the hour. While realisation has dawned that lockdown is not the answer to tackling the virus, for the economic cost of such a clampdown is disproportionate to the scale of the disease, but that does not negate the need for socially responsible behaviour, including the importance of observing norms such as wearing masks and maintaining social distancing. Just because the economy has opened up does not mean that the virus has vanished. There is no doubt that in spite of the huge numbers that India is clocking, the recovery rate is also very high at 86.3% and the death rate only 1.53%. But in absolute numbers, over one lakh people have died from this infection and by now almost everyone in this country would have heard of someone they know being infected with the virus, and even of some deaths—maybe not of people in their immediate circles, but there is no escaping the fact that people are dying untimely deaths. As has been reported by the media, the financial burden of the infection, if a patient requires hospitalization, is very high, crippling 80% of the families economically. While an increasing number of patients are opting for home quarantine since their symptoms are mild—sometimes just a loss of smell and taste—the uncertainty surrounding how the infection will affect a particular person is what makes Covid-19 uncharted territory. And also because scientists are yet to understand the virus or find a well-accepted treatment or vaccination for it. Life has to go on, the economy has to get back on its feet, so festivals must also go on, but without the big crowds associated with them—for this year at least. The fear associated with the virus in the initial stages of the spread has decreased to a considerable extent, and people have started stepping out of their homes, because of which economic activity has started picking up, which is welcome. This is a sign that Indians are learning to live with the virus. But then living with the virus does not mean reckless living, for we have a long way to go before China’s contribution to the world gets to be treated as common cold. In this context, it is rather surprising to see the sheer volume of people thronging the markets in Kolkata ahead of Durga Puja, which starts next week, or even the way the pandals are being built and full-scale preparations are going on to celebrate the festival. And all under the benevolent watch of Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who until recently was imposing lockdowns at will in spite of Central directives against it. But then politicians usually have electoral compulsions and Bengal is going to the polls inside a matter of months. However, there are other state governments who should be commended for cutting down on the festivities. And now it’s the citizen’s duty to follow the rules laid down by their respective state governments. Let the celebrations begin, but responsibly. India can do without a surge in infections just because some people decided to celebrate the festivals as if there is no tomorrow or the virus did not happen.
