Page 20 - The Indian EYE 061821

Op-Ed
Beating the third wave: early signs of
complacency as second wave wanes
Views and opinions from the top commentators in Indian media
igorous and ongoing dis-
ease surveillance is criti-
Rcal. Testing apace across
cities and villages, slums and
highrises, enables us to identi-
fy outbreaks early and isolate
them effectively. Regular sero-
surveys help track population
immunity and alert us to fresh
vulnerabilities. High genome
sequencing, as done by the UK,
enables timely identification of
new variants of concern. That
several states are still suffering
double-digit test positivity rates
is a reminder that all of our vast
population will not experience
the pandemic on the same time-
line. Governments know ev-
erything that needs to be done,
including the learning that Cen-
tre-state fights leave everyone
worse off. Vaccination will pick
up. But we are in a race against
mutations.
A searing memory of the sec-
ond wave is how it brought cities
down. But as the virus penetrat-
ed rural India, helplessness was
on an entirely different scale,
with a doctor or a hospital being
altogether absent in many vil-
lages. So, from arranging med-
ical staff to clarifying treatment
protocols, investments must be
urgent, upgrades must be func-
tional. The waning of the first
wave was followed by official
hubris. And that ushered in the
second wave. The waning of the
second wave must be followed
by hyper-alertness. That will
give us a fighting chance against
the third wave.”
editorial,
The Times of India
can’t blame the gods
hile more and more teacher, was banned for telling gy. This is merely an explication
people accept responsi- a colleague, “man, you’re spew- of what exists in our Constitu- the top commentators in the
Wbility for their fate, the ing crazy now!”
counter trend that we see is of
ever stronger social orthodoxies
JUNE 18, 2021 | The Indian Eye 20
librium is not just an academic
or intellectual task. It requires
shaping and shifting the exist-
ing spectrum of public opinion.
This is a political challenge.”
yogendra yadav,
The Print
The Memories lost
oth government and civil
society could have made
Binferences about the
impending second wave. The
government should have under-
taken measures to vaccinate ev-
eryone. This is in spite of both
Preparation of 300 beds for COVID-19 patients by State Government and the tricky and the risky nature
DRDO at Indira Gandhi Stadium, Sarusajai in Guwahati on Wednesday. (ANI) of vaccinating the entire popu-
being dictated by new corpo- india’s most pressing lation in a short period of a few
rates. Till a few years ago, the challenge months or years. Politicians, re-
ligious leaders, and celebrities
worst that might happen to an e need to embrace should have imposed self-lock-
individual, apart from natural
disasters, was to be fired from a democratic republi- downs with the following mes-
job, fail to get a promotion, or Wcanism, both as an end sage: “I/We will not participate
to have your spouse abandon and as means. This requires us if it results in crowding.” This
you. Today, the greatest calam- to recognize that democracy is gesture would have had a pow-
ity that might befall an individ- not just about crafting a consti- erful symbolic impact, set an
ual is to be banned from social tution, creating institutions and example, and reduced a lot of
media platforms for what is holding elections. It involves, suffering and tragedy.
deemed to be an offensive post. above all, the creation of a po- Both birth and death elude
To be banned from social media litical community of equal, in- the first-person experience. We
means an end to your virtual formed and involved citizens. hear about our birth from oth-
social existence. Donald Trump This recognition takes us be- ers, and we are not present after
experienced it, as has Kangana yond the regular issues of liberal death to relate the experience.
Ranaut. democracy: freedom of expres- However, witnessing the intense
And the ban need not be for sion, institutional autonomy, suffering of people before they
people who were using social procedural checks and balances, succumbed gave us, in varying
media to bring about some sort etc. It invites us towards deep- degrees, an unforgettable expe-
of counter-revolution. A recent ening of democracy by way of rience, as close to a first-person
report in the Wall Street Journal decentering of political power, encounter as possible. Although
tells us that Colton Oakley was equal access to resources, and there is little we can do about
banned from posting on Face- people’s direct participation in the metaphysics of mortality,
book for three days for ranting decision-making. studying the epistemological
about student debt; Alex Gen- None of these elements is and moral aspects can surely
dler was banned for sharing a new, though their combination help reduce avoidable suffering.”
link to a Smithsonian magazine might be somewhat unfamiliar. a. raghuramaraju,
story about tribal New Guinea; The middle ground proposed
and Nick Barksdale, a history here is not a brand-new ideolo- The Telegraph
Every week, we look at what
tion and an attempt to connect Indian media are talking about
M rajivlochan, these to the public. In that sense, and bring to you a slice of their
The Indian Express forging a new ideological equi- opinions and comments.
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