The bitter truth on handling Covid-19 pandemic
- Imphal Times Editorial :: October 31 2020 -

If one is asked to think of two issues at present, that would be the bitter truth on the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and the bi-election that is putting life of people at total risk.

The health department authority, instead of letting the people know what they have been doing to contain the virus is confusing the people with statements to protect their action rather than to protect the lives of the people.

‘Fear’ or perhaps lack of proper knowledge in dealing the pandemic is what people are seeing right at the moment with the number of positive Covid case reaching nearly 20 thousand and the death crossing 100 marks.

Since the beginning of the pandemic and since the virus started attacking the people the authority concern never make any concrete report of the situation.

Fabricated reports about the decrease in the spread of the virus have been seen spreading but the fact about the number of test being conducted has been not let known to the public.

Even health workers – particularly the doctors are not letting known the exact data of the pandemic.

On the other hand none of the health department authority are giving any remark to the ongoing election campaign and the law enforcers seemed helpless with no appropriate order to act for containing the virus.

The way things are seen to be synonymous with functioning of the administration today is miscommunication, inefficiency, favoritism, mismanagement, absenteeism- attributes that has Yet we have seen at times that the Government and its Departments have, in spurts, managed to accomplish seemingly impossible tasks and projects in record time- that they can rise to any challenge and face it successfully.

To make sure that people are protected from the unseen enemy – the dreaded COVID-19 pandemic, a holistic approach is very essential.

Making things work in fits and bounds would only make a farce of whatever precious little progress we have managed to accomplish.

It would require a very proactive and prominent role from the health department as well as the district administration if we ever aspire to fight the pandemic.

Curtailing the brash attitude of the often high-handed nature of the people in the government or fighting the pandemic is in public sphere and everyone knows this but do nothing for reason best known to them.

A swift and stern policy would surely deter many from being infected by the virus, if not altogether contain it.

Such a scenario would also revive the will of the common people to demand their rights and dispense their duties without fear or apprehension.

The Government, on its part should come clean on this issue and try to make a clean start.

In this age and time when any information can be accessed with the touch of a button, trying to fool the people and underestimating their intelligence will surely prove to be a costly mistake.

One does not need to draw up grand designs and mammoth schemes to initiate development.

When each and every arm of the Government have done their bit, then the big picture will emerge itself as it ought to be.

All everyone need is a sense of belonging, of responsibility and a spirit of participation, and the public should join in with an open mind instead of sitting back and being mere spectators waiting to point out every little mistake and make it out into a mountain, to complete the picture.