What India Can Learn From Italy's Mistakes In Dealing With The Coronavirus Pandemic
A lot can be said about a country and its citizens by observing their reaction to a pandemic. What started in Wuhan, China has now spread to all major continents and refuses to die down. Some of us have even forgotten what we talked about before the Coronavirus hit us in the face. One such case of the mass outbreak is that of Italy. The virus hit the country a month ago and the number of infected cases has reached 31,000 and counting. Social media is only showing how the mass quarantine has resulted in Italians serenading each other from their balconies. The reality though, Italy is still reporting a mass number of deaths, doubling with each passing day. Now that the virus has hit major states of India, what can we learn from some major mistakes made by Italy?
I. No Cure Yet, Containment Is The Only Way
There is no cure or vaccine available yet, so containment is the only way forward. Italy has banned its residents from leaving their houses and has started taking strict action against transgressors. The borders have been shut for all incoming visitors. India, in a similar fashion, has announced a travel ban on visitors from 15 countries including all of Europe. Going forward, the Centre needs to have a proper procedure to screen and quarantine incoming travellers. The infected patients need to be housed in a separate facility, access to which must be limited to healthcare workers only.
Testing needs to be done far and wide as it will help in containing the already positive cases.
II. Do Not Clog Hospitals
Hospitals are equipped with limited resources including beds, testing kits and even masks and sanitisers for healthcare workers on the frontline. In the case of a pandemic, these institutions get overwhelmed with patients who may or may not be severely ill.
People who have tested positive but display no symptoms should self-quarantine themselves, leaving space for the high-risk patients to get treated at the hospital facility. This will further prevent the virus from spreading to visitors and healthcare workers.
All non-essential surgeries can be postponed until the emergency levels mitigate.
If you are unsure of the symptoms, you can cross-check them here.
III. Online Classes/ Distance-learning
With many states announcing the closure of educational institutions and even postponing exams, students now need to keep up with the remaining portion of the syllabus on their own. Schools and colleges should start online classes or webinars that students can attend from the comfort of their homes. A lot of online tutors have YouTube videos where they perform practicals and explain core concepts. Check some of these online courses while you quarantine yourself.
IV. Shop. Don’t Hoard.
In the coming days, stock up on supplies for yourself without looting the general stores. Be mindful that our resources are limited. As such, there is no need to panic-buy any toiletries and cosmetics. Food and basic necessities should be kept in mind when shopping.
V. Communicate With Your Children and Elderly
Effective communication is key in such situations. A lot of what happened in Italy is because of the close proximity of the younger generation with the older generation. According to statistics, the older generation (65 years and above) is more susceptible to catching the virus.
In India, with the joint-family culture, it is important to keep talking and even educating each other about the facts of the Coronavirus.
Therefore, it is important to educate the children about the precautions to be taken as well as keeping the elderly in-home quarantine.
How we act now will determine when the coronavirus ends. Something that needs to be stressed upon is the importance of social distancing. It’s alright if you skip a party or even a wedding if it means that you and three others will not get infected by the virus - WHO says that if you catch it you are capable of spreading it to two or three others at least, which is a high number in a population of 1.3 billion in India.
Feature Image credit: Associated Press
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