The role of a government in a pandemic

 What is the role of an elected government during a pandemic?

Is its role to protect each life or make wide sweeping decisions for the greater good ? How much of such a decision making policy have to do with out cultural context ? Let's say, we as Indians have always been more skewed to the collective rather than the individual. So is the government also more skewed towards protecting the many rather than the individual ? 

I'm going to make a disclaimer here and say that I have nothing for or against the current BJP government- both centre and state- in this particular topic. 

My questions are about the vaccines we have and their approx 0.61/million chance of killing anyone who takes them. (Clots post vaccination ). This percentage  seems to be still under debate, but we know that it is not zero. Some people, very few people, are developing clots and even fewer still - to the tune of 6 people out of 1 crore of those who take the vaccines are dying. And we are 140 crore people in this country. Even if we manage to vaccinate half the population we are talking about 400 odd people dying due to the vaccines.

So, in the interest of protecting a larger number of the population from dying, this is effectively government approved death of a smaller number of people. And we have to pay for the chance to die- the vaccines are not even free! for the 18-44 year old group.  

Our government is not alone in making this hard decision of using an imperfect vaccine, several others have chosen to continue with the available vaccine - Astrazeneca or other easily available vaccine- than waiting for a perfect vaccine- which will not have the risk of death associated with it. Some European countries have halted the use of the clot-risk vaccine for the section of the population with highest risk of clot development. Some developing countries have also stopped the use of this vaccine. Is it because they are places where the individual good is more important than the collective good? Are those the places where every single life is important?  Why is every single person's life not important in India? Is it because we have a lot of disposable population? Where if a few extra people die, it is thought to be okay? 

This is a pandemic- and all solutions should be welcome. There is no perfect solution. There is no perfect vaccines. All vaccines come with some side effects. I agree with all these statements. So, we should use the vaccines we have. But can't the government restrict its use in the population group where the clots are occurring more and mortality is the result. Why can't they spend money and political effort to get a vaccine that doesn't kill people? Where deaths can be avoided, we should avoid them, no?

The long life of the Mask

 So, we have been masking up for nearly a year now. And it has made a difference for a lot of people. Forget about the corona virus, the flu season went by without being noticed due to this new mask wearing habit we have been saddled with. Every year, like clock work, between the months of November and  February, I would be afflicted with at least two bouts of the cold-cough-sore throat symptoms and maybe with a bout of fever as well. My eldest who has reactive airway issues, would get have a runny nose all day and a stuffy one all night and we could all forget our sleep. But this year, she hasn't gotten an episode. Not a single one. 

But, as the data already suggests, people are not being as mask compliant now as they were in the beginning of the un-lockdowns. (Whoever came up with that should be beaten. That is unwieldy. Lockdown made sense. But shouldn't someone in Delhi have put in more of an effort to come up with something better than un-lockdown?) When I drive to rural centres in Karnataka ( work-related day trips), I can see very well that the people there don't wear masks at all. Blame the open country-side and the absence of crowded, unventilated, air-conditioned spaces and maybe the effect of cohabiting with farm animals, the people living in villages seem hardier than us city folks when it comes to disease resistance. So, they never wore masks to begin with, shrugging off Covid-19 like a mild pest that affects only city dwellers. 

Not to mention, we as a species communicate more with our expressions and body language than our words. So if the mask covers up 2/3rds of our face- how effectively are we communicating? Also, we have a need to see the faces of the people we love. So, is long term mask-compliance even possible? Also, we are social animals. The ingenious outdoor birthday parties in my apartment complex shows me how much the aunties miss their get-togethers. ( I doubt the kids are the driving force behind these parties. It is the mothers who organise these shindigs and fathers are a complete no-show. ) I miss meeting my family face to face, and I feel that most people feel the same. (There are exceptions to every rule. I'm sure someone is rolling their eyes at this and saying good riddance to their relatives using Covid-19 as the happy excuse to miss any and all gatherings. 

So, when can we safely say goodbye to the mask, I keep wondering. A year? Two? Arrggghhhh......

90 days of Social Distancing and Where are we?

I live in one of those big fat apartment complexes that have sprouted like mushrooms all around the outskirts of our metros - 1300 odd apartments and about 5000 residents - which is community living at its best (Imagine an eye-roll here) . As you have surmised, I'm not a complete convert, even if I agree that apartment complex living comes with a host of advantages. I may be able to make my peace with a row house in a gated community, which at least gives an illusion of independence and agency ( You wouldn't believe the rules we have to abide by in apartment living - if you have never lived in one. And the rules have only become more draconian after the imposing of lockdown)

In anycase, when I moved in here as a newly wed, courtesy of flat-brat hubby( Which is derogatory for born and raised in an apartment- in case you're curious) I hated it with no reservations. This was a haven. But it was not meant for me. It was meant for families - not for a lonesome twosome who had way too much time on their hands and wanted the restaurants, clubs and youthful social life that living inside the bustle of the city brings. Which this was so not. This place comes with two huge parks ( Sand + swings+ slides+climbing wall+ Mini Jungle gym etc etc) . There are grassed play areas - for cricket, football and all sorts of play) , badminton courts, basketball court, tennis courts and club house has so many toddler to tween classes that they need a separate manager for those classes) and a walking trail surrounded by beautifully landscaped trees, bushes and flowering plants that was more than a kilometer around.

 I felt very out of place, because children and old people were completely occupied here - and the middle aged - the kids' parents, were completely engrossed in ferrying them around and forming a social life with the other parents and the grandparents had their own circles of grandparents. Married and without kids were an oddity and had nothing in common with the other adults living here.

But, now I have two children, and thanks to my fore-thinking husband- they have an amazing life. They are never bored. They have friends to play with anytime they care to step out of the door. At least, until the corona scare started, the kids practically lived downstairs .( with adult supervision, of course) They are growing up speaking five languages instead of one which we didn't unless we went to an English medium school - and then we grew up speaking two. They have access to being grubby with sand, like we grew up in the 80s and 90s. They have access to slides and swings which most of us didn't have ready access to when we were kids. ( I had to hike to the community park a kilometer away when I was a child). It seems like an amazing meld of two ways of life- the old and the new. They are privileged indeed, being exposed to the living styles of Punjabis, Manipuris, Maharashtrians, Konkanis, Keralites, name a state and my older child can name a friend from there.
 (Well, this is south India after all, so I think the N.E states are not completely represented. But there may only two two missing out of the seven)

But, the past 90 days have left the place eerily empty. There are rules and they are strictly enforced. Atleast in the initial lockdown (you know, 1.0? ) kids just weren't allowed out. No walking, no jogging, no gym, no badminton, no community activity of any sort for  adults. No maids- coz who knows if they are carriers. ( Insert eyeroll here ) Over cautious much management committe? ( and before you think, classist managament committee, also no courier, no delivery of any sort, no trainers, no tuition, no group classes , nothing breached the complex other than essential services -namely groceries and veggies and milk during lockdown 1.0.) Managing kids, job ( yup, that didn't stop, being part of the essential services and all -banking, ) cooking, cleaning shopping and all miscellany without a maid told me that I made the right decision in coming back to India. USA, hmmm, not for the weak willed and weaker backed.

In anycase , we are living in an enclosed campus with 5000 odd people. And this lockdown has taught me, that we are just as alone as we would be in an independant house. We may share walls here, but not lives. It's each family for itself in these uniquely challenging times. We are all neighbours afraid of one another , afraid for our own vulnerable, the old and the young. And we are all left with just a few common questions, will this corona fear subside? Can there be an effective treatment protocol for the old people and those with existing diseases that are now resulting in death?  And the most burning burning question - Will there be a good vaccine ?  When?