Last
year in the middle of the first wave, a neighbor approached me, asking why I
wasn’t going to Kerala where it is safe to be. “Jaan hai to jahaan hai”, he
said. I stayed put in Delhi. As it happened the virus ran through Kerala as
well – the state was the first to report a covid case and the last to peak in
the first wave.
Today Kerala is adding more than 10,000 cases to India’s daily caseload every
day. The whole country is debating the Kerala model. But why? And what should
Kerala do?
Politics
Uttar Pradesh is up for elections. In the second wave, many families in the
state lost loved ones. A photo of the departed member hanging on the wall is a
grim reminder of the hell they went through those two trying months. Covid is a
big election issue. The BJP needs to douse the anger. So its cyber army runs
online campaigns pointing to Kerala’s current numbers. We were bad but Kerala
is worse. Will it click? Nobody knows. But it certainly has worked as a balm
for the diehard fans of PM Narendra Modi and CM Yogi Adityanath.
The numbers
The whole world has been shooting in the dark when it comes to fighting the
coronavirus.
The main idea across the world initially was to limit the infections.
Different
countries had different strategies. Island nations shut down incoming flights
isolating themselves and it worked remarkably well for them.
Others imposed lockdowns. While it helped build infrastructure, reduce load on hospitals, it only slowed the spread of the virus and not stop it.
That
was one major lesson learnt. The focus now was on limiting deaths.
Survival of the fittest
Onam is to Kerala what Diwali is to rest of the country. This is when
maximum business happens in the state. Two successive years of zero business
would mean thousands of traders suffer huge losses. So when the rest of the
country is questioning relaxation of norms during Bakrid for three days, people
in Kerala are demanding a lifting of lockdown, covid be damned.
Lifting
all lockdown norms means racing to reach herd immunity. It also means survival
of the fittest. We saw that in Delhi and other north Indian states. Many people
I know died without getting proper medical treatment.
Trust
me, it’s a horrible sight.
Imagine spending a whole day working phone numbers looking for a cylinder and oxygen to fill it with.
Imagine hunting for medicines that don’t seem to exist throughout the day and
returning to hospital without anything to show for the effort.
Imagine you are a thirty year old struggling to breathe… you can see your wife
and friends frantically making calls for ambulances, hospital beds… you can see
your little kids looking at you scared and puzzled at what is happening around
them… you can feel life draining out of you, the surroundings blur into darkness…
you want to say good bye, but can’t find your voice…
Trust me, it’s a horrible sight.
