Days into the 21-day nationwide lockdown, as you and I work from home, professionals who do not have that privilege continue to fight the good fight on the front lines.?
If it wasn't for Air India evacuating Indians stranded in countries like China, Iran and Italy or doctors and nurses working 12-hour shifts on just a meal of biscuits and chai, reality for some of us would be far worse.?
Why then despite the show of clapping our hands and making loud, clanking sounds with our utensils to honour them are they still being ostracised and harassed?? ?
The following instances bring into focus our hypocrisy:
Recently, the Resident Doctors Association (RDA) wrote a letter to Home Minister Amit Shah saying many staffers were ¡®stranded on roads¡¯ with all their luggage. The association urged the Home Minister to immediately release an order prohibiting landlords from evicting the healthcare professionals working tirelessly against coronavirus from their rented houses.
The resident doctors of AIIMS said that their colleagues were facing eviction from rented homes by their landlords, who fear the medical professionals at the forefront of the fight against the novel coronavirus could be infected.
The government took swift action and gave power to zonal Deputy Commissioners to take ¡®strict penal action¡¯ against landlords who have been forcing doctors and paramedical staff, engaged in fighting the novel coronavirus, to vacate their rented premises.
These doctors who are at the forefront are taking way more precautions than what a normal person should right now. They are aware of the intensity and the seriousness of the situation and if they just do their jobs and you do yours (of staying indoors) no one would have to worry about being infected.?
Air India evacuated Indians crying for help from China, Italy and Iran. The staff put them at great risk but all forms of precautions were taken to make sure that none of them gets infected. They even had to isolate themselves for a stipulated period to make sure they did not contract COVID-19.?
As these airline staff members risked their lives and were hailed as heroes in the media, the ground reality saw them being treated the opposite.?
Many Air India employees were asked by their housing colonies or landowners to vacate their houses as they are afraid of being infected.?
Air India released an official statement condemning this.?
¡®It is alarming to note that in many localities, vigilante Resident Welfare Associations and neighbours have started ostracizing the crew, obstructing them from performing their duty or even calling in the police, simply because the crew travelled abroad in the course of their duty. These vigilantes have conveniently forgotten that many a spouse, parent, sibling, child and near and dear ones have been brought home safe and secure from affected countries, thanks to the heroic efforts of these Air India crew¡¯.?
Recently, a video of a IndiGo staff member named Amrita went viral. In the video she revealed how she was facing discrimination in her locality.?
In the video she says, ¡°Being in service industry, we people are facing a lot. I am living in a place full of hypocrites, including the local police. Whereas my job requires that I have to be there on duty and my company is taking full precautions for me to be safe.¡±?
She mentioned how people in her locality were spreading rumours of her having been infected by coronavirus and how her lone mother is facing harassment and ostracisation.¡°They are harassing my mother like anything. She can't go out to buy groceries because people refuse her saying that 'your daughter has corona, you might also have it,¡¯¡± she said.?
Amrita went on to say that ¡°we are safer than you are,¡± because her company is taking all the measures.?
Now here's the thing. These are people who were put on a pedestal by media and even authorities, and rightly so. They are the ones on the frontlines, fighting real danger more than we are.?
When PM Modi asked everyone to come out on balconies at 5pm on the day of janata curfew and express gratitude towards people who are still working amid lockdown, everyone obeyed.?
But after clapping at 5pm some of these people went back and issued notices to the same people they were supposed to honour.vBy serving eviction notices to doctors, nurses, other paramedical staff and air line staff these landlords are hindering essential services and causing more distress to people who are already preoccupied with more important things.?
What we need right now is unconditional support for people of these professions, and other like food vendors, chemists, grocery shop owners who are running their shops, going to their jobs so that everyone else can have a trouble free self isolating, social distancing period. People who cause distress and trouble to these professionals should be held accountable and punished for the same.?
It is our hypocrisy as a society that we are not actually supporting the fight against coronavirus but pretending to. These landlords and localities do not even have to go out of their way to make these professionals feel special, they just have to let them be do their jobs and mind one¡¯s own goddamn business which is of staying indoors.?
I think we have established that most people cannot make lives easier for these people, the least they can do is not make it more difficult for them either.?