Our entire generation has been affected by SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. SARS-CoV-2 is the short form of the CoronaVirus disease causing virus – Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus2. Besides the loss of our loved ones to this scourge, the sufferings of those admitted in the hospital or who couldn’t be admitted are abominable. Fear and uncertainty are writ large in everyone’s mind. How long will this wave/ Lockdown last? Will the virus mutate again? How effective is my vaccine and for how long will it remains so? Will we ever go about without masks? Will we ever hug our loved ones who don’t live with us but are as close to our family members we stay with?
Above unanswerable questions have brought about manifold changes not only in individual characters but in the society as a whole. In this blog I wish to compile the societal changes which have taken place and the people most affected by the changes. In the next post, I will discuss certain things which some readers can do to mitigate the miseries of these vulnerable individuals. No effort will be made by me to discuss the psychological or economic issues in detail as I am not competent enough for them.
MAJOR SOCIETAL CHANGES DUE TO CORONA
- LIVELIHOOD AND MIGRATION – This is the commonest social effect – Loss or degradation of job. Daily wagers, part time workers and the migrants are the most affected. Many kinds of large businesses and industries were shut. They opened briefly and were shut again, incurring huge losses. The employees of all categories have been affected, especially those who were highly specialised. They may have to learn new skills or to do menial jobs. Women employees, world over are more affected than men.
- TOURISM, AVIATION AND HOSPITALITY – This is one of the worst hit segments. International travel is down to a trickle. Domestic travel is also curtailed. Maintenance of aircrafts, hotels and luxury cars is mandatory. More and more Airlines are shutting shop. Employees have been left to themselves.
- OTHERS – Malls, Cinemas and Gyms are equally affected. Cost of maintenance is high. Alternatives are gaining ground. Cinema viewers have shifted to Netflix and Hotstar. People are now exercising at home with help of training videos.
- EDUCATION – Losses due to maintenance of infrastructure of colleges, schools and private coaching centres are mounting. Large scale staff entrenchment has taken place. Teachers who couldn’t cope up with online teaching had to quit. Poor students and those living in remote areas where internet penetration is low are most affected. Practical knowledge of students in science subjects has remained static or has dwindled. Careers of many students of class 12 and of the final year of colleges are in jeopardy due to change in exams/ marking systems and their delay.
- HOME ENVIRONMENT – Many tenants who were Health Care Workers (HCW) or Front-line workers were evicted or harassed. Due to long and uncertain working hours the stress levels of the family became high. Stress increased amongst the jobless. Balancing ‘Work from home’ with children’s ‘Online studies’ often clashed and working women faced the brunt. Studies have confirmed increase in home alcohol/ drug abuse and domestic violence due to the pandemic. Most homes in which deaths or suicides have taken place during the pandemic have had family members complaining of stress.
- RELIGION – In uncertain times of wars and disasters, religion has been the balm of the society. Religious gatherings in places of worship, religious long marches or travel or setting up Chabeel/ cold drinks stalls for these religious traveller groups in summer. The senior citizens, the unemployed and the housewives have been affected as they cannot even leave their homes, what to talk of acting on their altruistic feelings.
- SOCIAL OBLIGATIONS – Marriages, milestone anniversaries/ birthdays, last rites and many other social obligations are important bonds of the society. Dumping of dead bodies in the Ganges have been seen by the world at large. But many newly married couples couldn’t get blessings of close relatives living in different places. The grief of a person celebrating his 75th birthday without the grandchildren cannot be fathomed. Face talks and zoom interactions are becoming the new norm but there is no ‘warmth’ in them. No hugs and kisses.
- HEALTHCARE, OTHER THAN CORONA – As the HCW focused on SARS-COV-2 and the restrictions came into place, routine health care suffered. Diagnostic and treatment facilities, availability of drugs for long term patients from government sources have reduced and the immunisation of children/ pregnant women is getting affected. Patients suffering from cancer, tuberculosis (TB), leprosy, chronic heart and lung diseases are the most to suffer. Scientific studies revealed an increase in the incidence of TB and deaths due to cancers.
- PANDEMIC RELATED ITEMS, WASTE DISPOSAL – We have all witnessed the dumping of masks, shields, plastic dispensers (for sanitizers/ disinfectants) and even PPE kits at numerous places. Apart from the soil, even water bodies are being contaminated. The front-line workers in many cities are hard pressed in removing this waste. Accumulation of plastic packing materials has increased.
VULNERABLE GROUPS
Many groups of our society continue to live in fear and are vulnerable to any fresh wave of disease and ensuing lockdowns. These are:
- Orphaned children and households in which earning member(s) have died of this disease.
- Migrant and daily wagers.
- Small farmers, especially who grow vegetables.
- Homeless and the illiterate who do not possess/ know how to communicate with smart phones.
- Senior citizens, those living alone.
- Persons with disabilities.
- HCW and Frontline workers.
SEQUELAE AND WHAT CAN RESPONSIBLE PEOPLE DO TO HELP?
Sequelae of a disease like CoronaVirus means weeks and months of post-acute stage physical, mental, emotional and societal symptoms in affected people and in people surrounding them. Since this subject requires more space and time, it can be discussed in the second part, in the next article.
Maj Gen Krishan Chauhan is a second-generation army officer. He studied in Sainik School Kapurthala, graduated from IG Medical College, Shimla and did his MD from AFMC/Pune University. He has served in the Army Medical Corps for 36 years and retired as the Addl DGMS army. He is an avid marathon runner and a writer. He first wrote articles for children in The Young Chronicles. Later, he started writing his own blog as Genkris, on WordPress where over 25 articles on various subjects can be accessed.
