Is Covid19 the only virus that we need to be worried about?

Everyday there is disturbing news of things happening during the lockdown that have nothing to do with the virus Covid 19. First, we had news of millions of frightened migrants who started moving towards their homes. The cities that they worked in provided them income. But the moment they learnt that livelihoods options were closed, the millions who live on the margins of our economic system started moving. They wanted to go to a safer haven, their homes. On the way they were sprayed with harmful chemicals, beaten up by the police, held in quarantine and many other forms of indignity were heaped upon them. While the message of ‘fear’ was clear, the message of succour, if and when it came, was always an afterthought. Then came the news of rising reports of violence against women and children at homes. The Childlines and the National Commission on Women reported higher than usual reporting of violence and abuse. We all know that reports to the formal complaint systems represent the tip of the iceberg and the prevalence of such abuse is widespread.

While the entire country was encouraged to bang utensils and celebrate the efforts of the different service providers who had to continue to provide essential services, there was news of doctors and nurses being refused entry into their apartments. The neighbours wanted to stay ‘safe’ and staying close to health workers seemed an unacceptable risk. Then there was news that two young doctors were beaten up by a shopkeeper close to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Delhi. Their fault was that they were not wearing masks, and fact that they were doctors and had just come off duty frightened the shopkeeper. Now there is news that a doctor was refused burial in Chennai under the pretext that he has Covid19 infected. In other news we have learnt that people are also being lynched on the suspicion that they may be Covid19 carriers.

The news of infection and death from India, is miniscule compared to what has been reported from other countries. While that is good news, it is not something that we should celebrate, because the peak may be around the corner. We need to be vigilant and take all necessary precautions. But the news that is coming out from all places of the other virus, that of ‘intolerance’ is very worrisome.

In the last few years, we have been constantly bombarded with news of intolerance. Intolerance of people who dress differently, speak a different language, pray in a different direction, eat differently, and the list is quite long. And when we proudly call ourselves Indians, we also judge others who do not fulfil our standard notion of what an Indian should look like, what she should wear, which language she should speak and so on. Within this overall frame of this pandemic has created a further layer of mistrust, suspicious and fear.

This morning I heard a story where the residents of an apartment building refused to let one of their neighbours bring home a young woman who was facing violence at her home. Violence against women is common in India and we are getting reports that it is increasing. Women facing violence have the right to residence, but she needs to be protected as soon as possible. Shelter is essential support such women need. But residents of a middle-class apartment building refused to let her in. Here is a multi storeyed apartment building with four or six flats on each floor, the doors of which are more than one metre away from each other. I fail to understand how the educated professional residents of that building could possibly imagine the Covid 19 virus would get in through their locked doors and infect them. They had already been infected by the virus of ‘intolerance’.

An even more painful but ridiculous story is that from Chennai where a respected doctor was refused burial space in a cemetery. I have also heard of people facing difficulties in cremating their family member who may have died of Covid 19. What is the fear of infection in this case? Will one person who died of Covid 19 infect the other dead that have been put to rest in the same cemetery? Will the infection spread into the ground water system? Will the smoke from the funeral pyre of a person who may have died of Covid 19 infection become a health risk for the living?

This kind of completely irrational behaviour cannot be explained by lack of literacy, because in many cases the people practicing this kind of ‘distancing’ are very well educated. This fear of the ‘other’, suspicion of the ‘different’ and susceptibility to any information no matter how fake or ridiculous, but which reinforces previous prejudices, is a disease which the body of our society has already been infected with. Intolerance is a very infective virus and spreads in ways stranger than Covid 19. Once infected, the patient is intolerant of the doctor, and doctors become intolerant of the patients. The lady in Flat 6A becomes intolerant of the lady in Flat 5B, even if the lady in Flat 5B was trying to help another lady in distress. Even co-religionists become intolerant of each other and deny the dead the final respect that they deserve. The Corona 19 pandemic seems to be bringing out a whole new set of signs and symptoms of this other equally dangerous disease.

While we try and protect ourselves from Covid 19 we also need to be incredibly careful to protect ourselves from this virus of ‘intolerance’. The only vaccine against this virus is empathy for others and the only anti-viral available is social solidarity. These are difficult times and we are being forced into ‘social islands’ to protect ourselves. The Covid 19 is a very infectious disease, but then not everyone suffers equally. There are more ways to keep ourselves safe than pushing out others who are in danger and need support. We need to reach out in different ways to provide succour. In difficult times there are many more who need succour. Food, medicine, and other essential supplies are important, and we try to keep supplies going even though there is risk in every movement and interaction. And we have not stopped eating and getting our vegetables and other supplies. So, our islands still have bridges. Let us develop more bridges, cautiously. This is the time to display the best part of our humanity and win both our battles, against the virus of intolerance and Covid 19.