Rules are by the govt but for the people

The police stop a rider at Rafi Ahmed Kidwai junction during a nakabandi. Pic/Ashish Raje

The big news on the Coronavirus front is that the government has made wearing masks in public compulsory. As cases surge in India, new stipulations say that people will be penalised, even arrested, if they fail to sport a face mask while outside.

As the fight against the virus is an evolving one, we are going to see new rules come into force as the days go by.

The situation is in a flux and responses are being shaped accordingly.

A look at the timeline will show us that there have been rapid shifts through the course of the past days. First, we had informal rules about distancing. Crowds petered out. Then came closure of certain establishments and entertainment centres.

We saw private offices emptying and essential services being limited to the truly urgent and essential. Mumbai's commuting oxygen was snuffed out when trains were grounded. The city screeched to a halt as a lockdown was called.

We will need to get used to constant tweaks and changes as we take on the adversary.

The mask has been mandated because it is a necessary armour in our arsenal. We will have to adapt and adhere to scaling up, or to rapid shifts as the situation warrants.

A machinery must be in place to check prices of masks and their sale. One can also use a clean cloth mask. There are many online tutorials and quick, simple and effective ways to make a mask from what you have at home.

Respect the rule and put on your mask in public. The police had a way of dealing with helmet-less riders. They would often say the rule is ours but the head is yours. In the same vein; the rule is theirs but the life is ours.

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