By KNT on 25/03/2020.

 Srinagar, Mar 25: Following the Janta Curfew call issued by Indian Prime Minister many people observed it very decently by clapping or beating utensils together but others crossed the limits and burnt tyres on the roads in Jammu.

The scenes were described by people as shameful and pathetic. People especially elderly ones claimed to have suffered a lot when smoke emanated from the burnt tyres.

People narrated their ordeal in Jammu city where some people crossed limits and made a mockery of social distrancing and home quarantine.

An elderly man wrote on Twitter: “Some people blazed tyres to make people suffocate. This is not humanity. People should take COVID-19 seriously.”

Despite repeated advisories, it seems people across the country at large remain unaware of what the COVID-19 virus is, how it spreads, and how important it is to arrest its rate of transmission.

As per a recent survey conducted by Josh Talks, over 60 percent of the 45,000 Indians interviewed were of the belief that coronavirus would not affect India as it was a warmer country.

It is true that the efforts of the Indian government in terms of making people more aware of the measure to take against coronavirus have spanned all mediums including messaging though traditional media channels as well newer, digital mediums such as social media.

However, the incidents on Sunday may go some way in proving that the messaging on “Janata Curfew” has to change to solve what could potentially be the worst public health crisis the country (and the world) has ever faced: Beat your thali, in your home.

Next day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to twitter to tell Indians that lockdown needs to be taken seriously.

A writer also wrote that saying the COVID-19 outbreak seems to have brought the dual nature of humanity to new levels of absurdity. In country like India with its 1.3 billion-strong population, it seems the crisis has barely revealed its tip with a majority of the population still ignorant to the true extent of the problem.

On Sunday, Indians across the country observed a 14-hour long “Janata Curfew” from 9 am in the morning in keeping with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for self-isolation and social distancing. The call to action included coming to one’s own balcony at 5 pm, to go for clapping or beating utensils together as a mark of respect for the frontline health workers and medical professionals who were working day and night to contain the COVID-19 pandemic and selflessly treating patients who are affected by it.

On Sunday morning social media flooded with posts about birds chirping and pin drop silences on empty streets as Indians across the nation stayed indoors to observe the curfew. Shops and public transport remained shut and people from various walks of life seemed to be practicing social distancing. Many even shares their inspiring lockdown diaries with the world.

In a rare instance of bonding, balconies and verandahs across Indian cities came alive with the beating of thalis (steel plates) sharp at 5 pm on Sunday, responding to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal for a voluntary janata curfew to prevent coronavirus from spreading further.

In what looked like a national celebration, people came out of their houses in full force, some 10 hours after the curfew had begun, to express their gratitude for essential service providers who’ve been working despite the odds. Some even blew conch shells and burst firecrackers, while others screamed ‘go corona, go’.

However, the 7 am to 9 pm curfew turned into a real lockdown with the Centre and many states making back-to-back announcements to tell the people that their movement would be significantly curtailed at least till the end of this month. And, the beats were soon drowned by concerns over how to carry on with business in the coming days.

“Let us all pray so that better sense prevails among the people.”

So far nearly 500 people have been affected with virus with nine deaths in India. The COVID-19 pandemic has continued to spread globally, with the total number of infected cases reaching 381,761 on Tuesday.

As per reports, throughout the world, 16,558 people have died of Covid-19 so far. Although, 102,400 people have also recovered.

In India total numbers of positive cases climbed to 492— more than double the number on March 20. (KNT)