Good and bad people exist everywhere, but real changes for the better happen when the good ones outnumber the bad ones. After shameful incidents of police personnel, and even a tehsildar, being attacked in some areas of the state for trying to enforce Covid guidelines, we now have the heartening news of a village committee in the Mayurbhanj-Balasore belt deciding to impose penalty on people violating government guidelines, including the mandatory quarantine rules. The village located close to West Bengal is home to around 200 people who remain at the risk of getting infected with the virus if they do not follow rules as the border with the neighbouring state, where a Covid-19 pandemic is raging, remains porous.
Hence, the village committee swung into action and its head decided to impose a fine on people not following Covid protocol and trying to enter the village without an RT-PCR negative report or refusing to stay in quarantine for 14 days. With cases rising, the people of the village, too, are beginning to realize the importance of complying with the norms and have willingly agreed to abide by the orders of the committee.
This is an excellent example of how self-discipline can help improve the situation in these trying times. Hopefully, people in other parts of the state, especially in the rural areas where we are yet to see any significant impact of the lockdown, will take similar steps to ensure that rules are not violated. This is the only way of fighting the pandemic effectively and bringing the number of positive cases and deaths down.
We all must realize that there is a limit to the resources, both human and otherwise, at the disposal of a state to tackle a crisis. The government led by Naveen Patnaik is already doing its best to bring relief to the people by upgrading health infrastructure and setting up health facilities even in the remotest areas. The government was forced to announce a lockdown when it saw the situation getting out of control with some people wilfully violating the Covid guidelines. However, even the police force deployed to enforce the rules during the lockdown is stressed and it is our duty to cooperate with the men in khaki in our own interest.
People must remember that police cannot be deployed everywhere and it is their responsibility to keep a watch on their fellow beings who try to flout the rules. The problem can be nipped in the bud if people at the village level take upon themselves the responsibility of imposing discipline. They should use both persuasion and punishment as tools to obtain the desired results.
Some of the countries which have succeeded in bringing the pandemic situation under control have done so with the cooperation of people who willingly followed Covid-appropriate behaviour and continue to do so. This is the best way of combating the present crisis. Let’s ensure we all remain disciplined and fight this pandemic together.
Comment here