Till today, I have been avoiding this topic on purpose so that I can send out happy, frivolous tidbits that can lift the spirits of those who read my musings...
I don't know about you all... On my phone's browser, a page has been open for a week now. Every 12 hours or so, I pull it down from the top to refresh it. The loading bar travels its path from the left to the right. What I get at the end of it are numbers. Numbers that keep on dialing up with each refresh. Numbers with plus signs beside them; numbers in red with plus signs beside them. All telling me how many people have been affected by country and the number per million of the population.
Am I being ghoulish? I don't know. All the political unrest of a few weeks ago has been swept away by this deluge. The burning streets and neighborhoods must be eerily empty now. If this is not a sign of how unstable and unpredictable life is on this earth, I don't know what is. And yet, even in the face of a scourge that is spreading fast and winnowing the weak and infirm as well as some fit ones, there are people who are selfish, careless and simply wanton, for want of a better word.
Governments can only do so much. A month ago, a young guy from DH's company returned from Singapore with a cold, went to the hospital, disclosed where he had come from and was immediately asked to enter quarantine by the doctor. A health worker visited him as soon as he had returned home and advised him and his family on how to keep the quarantine. Every day he received a phone call to assess his health condition, every second day a health worker visited his house to make sure that he was okay. This is the level of care given by our government. No one can do it better.
And then came a few irresponsible people from Italy, the Gulf and so on and all hell broke loose in Kerala. Reports are coming in from all over Kerala about people simply refusing to quarantine themselves for two weeks at home. At the same time, there have been some very heartening news items like that of an aunt who missed her daughter-like niece's wedding because she was completely healthy but in home quarantine because she had been to Qatar to visit her new grandchild.
Even while deaths are being reported in other states, Kerala still hasn't had even one fatality due to the flu till now. Touch wood. Even the extremely elderly set of parents from Pathanamthitta have been coaxed back from the brink of death by the wonderful health carers. Even as I write this, the health department workers are each doing the work of ten or more people without thought of shift, holiday or rest to keep us safe.
All at Karthi heaved a huge sigh of relief on this Wednesday because Kunjunni's board exams were finally over. It was just at the right time too, because on Thursday, all of the rest of the exams of CBSE 10th standard were postponed indefinitely. Kunjunni who had missed playing football in our yard for a whole year with his friends - a couple of whom were in the tenth themselves - enjoyed an evening full of football, scaring the poor front yard plants once again.
All his friends are from hereabouts and they don't go out much or use public transport to get around. Yesterday again he had an evening to play. But then came disturbing news. One of his friends had gone away to play on a hired turf. One neighbor came back from Chennai when his university closed indefinitely. He was required to attend a mandatory health check for crossing the state border. He was declared healthy for the time being and asked to remain inside his home for 14 days. And he immediately came out and mingled with his friends joking that he would not be cooped up at home come what may and spoil two weeks of his unexpected vacation.
Kunjunni had plans to play again today at 7 am. But yesterday, we all heard the PM's address and the whole family talked about the need for care and home quarantine. I told Kunjunni frankly that I was upset about his two friends who were flouting the health guidelines. I told him that I didn't have any right to admonish them, and that he was the only one with whom I could share my concern. He didn't tell me what he had decided. But today morning at 7, when his friends came, he came and told me that he was giving them his ball, but he wouldn't be going out to play. Understandably he was morose and gloomy for sometime. But he made me immensely proud for making the right choice.
A home quarantine is not at all hard on me because I am a homebody and have enough to work and play at home. But it is tough on the men in my family. DH loves driving all over on Saturdays and even on Sunday, he will all too often announce, "I'll be back in fifteen minutes" ostensibly on some errand, but really to take a spin on the scooter. He loves going away on trips and planning months ahead. Yesterday we cancelled our train tickets to Bangalore where we had planned to catch up with friends and family. Besides, he will have to start working from home where the internet is at times spotty.
My father who will turn 85 this year is fiercely independent. We offered to do all his shopping so that he could remain at home. Yesterday, the PM asked citizens of 60 and above to stay at home. I called my father to reiterate our offer to do his shopping. He happily told me that he had driven out yesterday to fill his and my brother's prescriptions and had refilled his pantry. So he can sit comfortably at home for a month. He is much the same as my DH when it comes to staying at home, so I will need to keep an eye on his movements.
All in all, it is going to be a bit tough on all of us in the coming days. But for nothing will I flout the government suggestions. On Sunday the 22nd, we will be strictly observing the janata curfew. And yes, we will be out on our balcony, ringing a bell for five minutes at 5 pm that day to thank all the selfless health workers of our country. We owe them more than we can ever know.
Meanwhile I have a few projects lined up at Karthi for these trying times. More of that next week.
Meanwhile, stay in, stay healthy, stay happy! Break the chain! My prayers go out to all of you!
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