To open or not to open

There is panic.  Yesterday when I went to buy juice, one of the employees stopped his scooter to tell me that I should not step outside the main gate and go towards Munirka as a case has been reported.  What if a case comes into the campus, he asked in a worried tone.  Then it will spread rapidly with the campus, he said.

Last Friday after a lot of deliberation the University to partially open up the administration building.  Paper work had piled up.  Bills had to be paid, salaries of employees appointed in projects had to be paid, and the funding agencies were demanding statement of expenditure and utilization certificate for the financial year.  So it made sense that the administration started functioning once more.

This Tuesday the administration has closed down again.  Apparently, one of the officer was exposed to coronavirus- we still do not know whether he is infected or not but someone in his locality was infected and he came in contact with that person- and therefore, as a precautionary measure the administration has been shut down once again. 

And as we move towards the end of the 4th phase of lock down, do we open up or do we not?  How much do we open up?  What happens if infection spreads?  How will we deal with it? Can our healthcare system cope with it?

The economy is now shambles. The worst affected are the migrant labourers.  The heart-rending pictures of the labourers making their way back to their villages- by cycle, by walking, and of late trying to get a seat on the train-tells us how their concerns were ignored before the lock down was implemented.  Many people who owned small businesses have been pushed into poverty. 

But the lock down has also taught me many things. Patience, and an acceptance that many times things will not go my way how much ever I want it to.