View Point 1
The human race has survived number of pandemics from the time immemorial till date. As human civilisations rose, these diseases put all efforts to strike them down. All pandemics, be it typhoid fever during Peloponnesian war, Antonine plague in 165 A.D., Leprosy in 11th century, the great plague of London in 1665 and the first cholera pandemic of 1817, left trails of the severity of the diseases for a long period.
The earth and the environment would never remain the same post COVID-19. Since March 11, 2020, the day WHO announced that the COVID-19 was officially a pandemic after barreling through 114 countries in three months, the disease has still been spreading like jungle fire and no respite at sight till date.
The following changes are anticipated in post COVID-19 situation in different spheres of life on earth.
- Social:
(a) Social inequality would further increase spurred by ‘social distancing’ norms between those with/without access to advanced (private) healthcare and vaccination.
(b) Millions of middle class workers will be pushed into poverty and lose built up pension rights.
(c) Real-estate profit-driven communities will spur spatial segregation of people along income and ethical lines aggravating the conditions of people living in slums and slum-like housing complexes.
(d) More security and health checks for traveling causing stress and anxiety.
(e) Health tracking and drone surveillance will critically undermine privacy and freedom of movement and expression.
(f) Public spaces and parks would face the threat of being auctioned off to the private sector for ‘threatening public health’.
(g) Private vehicular transport with ‘social distancing’ facility would discredit public transport system.
(h) Physical distancing, wearing masks and self isolation of contaminated persons would remain compulsory for a long period to come.
(i) Awareness about health and environmental issues would spur governments for taking more interest to invest in health and environment – responsive plans and projects.
(j) Housing and sanitation standards to be raised to be pandemic – resilient.
(k) Governments may go for more open spaces and parks (with restricted public movements).
(l) There may be official encouragement for walking, cycling and other forms of micro-mobility.
- Environment:
(a) COVID-19 would remain a temporary relief for the environment and its biosphere.
(b) In the name of making up for losses, governments may lift environmental regulations on polluting industries.
(c) Agro-industrialisation would be infused with technology to reduce the need for cheap labour.
(d) Large retailers would resume individual packing of fresh products.
(e) Local food production and consumption will become the new standard.
- Inter country relations:
(a) The global pandemic war would morph into a new kind of cold war.
(b) Conflicting countries of the world may come to the negotiating table to find out durable solutions.
(c) May be a new term of “COVID-19 Countries” with different regulations will come up for VISA and immigration processes.
Thus in short, the post COVID-19, world and environment would never be the same again. This is certain and we should simply accept it gracefully.
Archona Hazarika
Assistant Teacher
Shishu Bharati E.M. High School, Dergaon
View Point 2
The entire country is under lockdown since last 3 months, and nature has found a way to let earth regain its lost wealth during this period. No one was sure that there would be a day when they would see, at least in this lifetime, nature recovering after an excessive pollution including dumping of industrial and domestic waste, irresponsible chopping of trees and every possible abuse. But the lockdown has turned the table. Not just the skyline is becoming cleaner with each passing day, the rivers are visibly purer and once endangered flora and fauna is now coming back to life. Here is a glimpse of how the mother Earth has healed herself amid the lockdown.
- Our Life lines-Rivers: You can see the surface of the river Ganga which could not be cleaned despite spending crores of rupees is now naturally cleaner than ever as reportedly none of the industrial waste is being dumped in it. According to a report, Ganga may be cleaner today as it was in 1986, when the first attempt to clean the river was launched. Similar case is with the river Yamuna too.
- Clear skies and skyline: With absolutely limited movement of vehicles on the roads, most of the metro cities in India are breathing in much cleaner air with relatively safer level of pollutants to deal with as compared to the metro cities before lock down.
- Feathers flock together: Pink Flamingos returning in huge number to Navi Mumbai is certainly something to rejoice about. Also, Dolphins are spotted in sea near Gateway of India.
- A Himalayan view: People in Jalandhar can see Himalayas from their roof tops, for the first time in decades. The lockdown has cleared the air pollution to the extent that people in Punjab could catch a view of Himalayas from some of the cities in the state.
So, I feel that, Mother Nature has given enough scope, opportunities and examples to learn to live with the nature. If, we the humans learn from it, then the world will never be the same as it was before lockdown. We need to follow it, to respect it and to learn to live a better life with accepting and nourishing the new changes.
Priyanka Das
6th Sem Student
BSc, Botany
B.P. Chaliha College, Nagarbera, Kamrup (R)
Topic For the Next Issue(Molecular diagnosis should be obligatory for confirmation of infectious diseases)
