Private Sector And Pandemic Management

The second wave cannot just be addressed by governments and existing governance machinery in place. It is time for businesses to also lend a hand

- Harish Bijoor

The pandemic is back, with a vengeance this time round. The second wave seems to be worse than the first. And this wave has bitten us just when a certain degree of lethargy on maintaining Covid controls had come into our lives. Covid-ennui had stepped in as a mindset, after a long year of strict controls. The masks were being worn with a lesser degree of paranoia, social distancing became a myth and hands were being washed with that much less periodicity and passion.

Nonetheless, the pandemic is in our home now, if not at our doorstep. Bengaluru, the capital city of new cases, is topping 700 positives an hour, and medical infrastructure to deal with the pandemic is creaking on rickety legs. Pune and Delhi continue to struggle, as do others. The big city disease is no longer one restricted to just these places. As people leave the city and make their way into the hinterland of India, Covid-19 is slated to become a village-to-village reality. And that is a big worry.

The finger-pointing has begun, and politics is being played with merriment. Overall, there is a feeling of inadequacy all around. There is a shortage of oxygen, Remdesivir and beds in hospitals for the critically ill; there is even a shortage of appreciation of the humongous work being done.