“Whereas, the Home Department, Government of Manipur had issued orders regarding guidelines on unlock, vide No. 9/6(1)/ 2020-H(Pt), dated the 31st August 2020.
Whereas, the PROHIBITORY ORDERS UNDER SECTION 144 OF THE CODE OF CRIMINAL PROCEDURE 1973 (Senapati, the 5th September 2020) imposed a curfew from 6 PM to 5 AM in the whole of Senapati District till 24:00 hrs of 31st September 2020 (September ends in 30 days) or until further orders, whichever is earlier. Senapati locality-based retails shop dealing with essential commodities like groceries for daily use, vegetables, fruits, milk booths, poultry meat and fish will be opened from 7 AM to 5 PM on all days.”
With truck and wheels motoring along the highway at a peacefully disturbing speed across a curfew imposed Senapati District, the curfew ends as it begins the night itself. 6 PM was 6 AM. The shops and hotels, therefore, remain masked although some rupee and grocery bags unmasked themselves from the backdoor. Wherefore the thirty days of September could possibly create a panic of COVID- 19 in the district, it also causes serious deliberation to further create effective awareness till the 31st of September.
As lockdown relaxes gradually with new unlock 4 guidelines issued by the government on 29th August 2020; the District Administration, Senapati and the Senapati District Students’ Association (SDSA) instigated plausible measures and Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for all shops in Senapati Bazaar so as to confront the pandemic from 2nd September onwards.
However, the words in this sentence ‘social-distanced ‘itself better than how the public adhere to social distancing in Bank, ATM, certain shops, etc. The signboard and posters remain as a nominal gesture of quality money and graphic appeal to the masses. Masks seemingly became a suffocating means of survival for many, a retailing advantage for several and a wave of fashion disport for countless heads. Mask-on is the new normal. And Corona Virus mused along with the new flow of normalcy. To be negative is the new positive news. Nobody wants to be COVID-positive but everybody seems positive that they will be cured even if they were COVID-19 positive.
Lockdown relaxation relaxes the economy and loosened the mindfulness of the people from COVID-19; however, when COVID positive case arises, the public may be deemed to blame the administration for reasons of less equipment, less medical facility, less examination, and less public inspection. But is it entirely the administration or the government’s fault? Unless the administrators are also responsible for the disappearing zeroes in the currency notes sanctioned by known or unknown benefactors. Plausibly the zeroes must have multiplied as the virus also multiplies its carriers yet the zeroes never settled on proper places but in small pockets with growing accounts.
With the world economy experiencing a ‘deep recession amid a still-unchecked pandemic’ according to UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and ‘India’s economy which is forecast to contract by 5.9% in 2020 likely to translate permanent income loss’; prices of local market commodities insignificantly soared abruptly in the district; “ Between 90 million and 120 million people will be pushed into extreme poverty in the developing world, with close to 300 million facing food insecurity” however being stated by UNCTAD, the wavering local price tag of meat became an extravagant necessity for a nutritional diet.
Are the public vigilant enough of the awakened mindful normalcy in the district? Is the public able to generate the awareness put forth by the administration and by the government? Are the government and administration aware of the needs of the people? Are the government and the administration, as leaders, focused on dealing with the compliances of the people?
If not, who is to blame who?
Is it less testing or being least careful?
Are we paranoid of getting tested because of how people would judge us? Or are we allowing COVID to muse our state of inadvertent contentment?
Are we overly confident about tomorrow or are we overly comfortable with the lockdown relaxation?
Rather, why don’t we take the advantage of this pandemic to be a more responsible citizen?
What is the threat, then?
If you ask me,
The threat is not the people! The threat is not the virus!
The threat is our own outlook towards the virus.
The threat is the temperament of being self – oriented.
We want a change without being the change.
What is yours?
Views are personal.