Citizens, too, must take up the mantle to fight COVID

A sealed building at Marine Drive. File pic

Given the absolute and frightening surge in COVID cases, authorities have got cracking on what they term micro-containment zones. They are breaking up the metropolis into manageable zones and there is more onus now on private citizens and more accountability, too, to stem this spread.

This means housing societies where we have seen so many cases of late, are now being given fresh guidelines and Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) by the civic authorities. The residents and the housing society committee have to shoulder a substantial burden now.

Certain guidelines have been issued and spelt out at mammoth residential enclaves especially. These include no delivery persons, a restriction on visitors, certain rules when it comes to house helps, ensuring that the societies have hand sanitisers, staffers have disposable gloves, and other measures.

While this is the rule book, it is vital to read between the lines. It is evident that the authorities are now shifting much more responsibility on people. You cannot disregard or disobey rules, tease or play games with an insidious and deadly enemy which is the virus. This is not to say that the government has callously shunned people and told them they need to fend for themselves. That is not the truth, all they are doing is recalibrating responses to rope in everybody at the ground level, not just the obvious COVID warriors to break the chain.

Smaller housing societies can tackle this at their level, with sensible guidelines and caution as the thumb rule. These are vital parts of micro-containment zones and we must see them step up to the challenge. For that each and every member has to co-operate, has to be one with the committee, which must rule with a mix of empathy, understanding, discipline and logic.

It is COVID that we must fight, not one another.