Is Janata Curfew a Marketing Stunt?

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has requested people not to leave their house on March 22nd, 2020 from 7 am to 9 pm.

My address to the nation. #IndiaFightsCorona https://t.co/w3nMRwksxJ

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 19, 2020

 

First let us try to understand the basic cases and scenarios around us and in the news.

Current situation in my vicinity

In one of the building near me, recently there is this guy who returned from abroad and was roaming around in the society and area casually. Society had to file a complaint against that man to the BMC. He was given a notice and asked him to be self-quarantined for 14 days.

Viral Case

Kanika Kapoor, singer of Bollywood song “Baby Doll” had attended a party casually after having a international travel history, there were around 65 guests.

Mumbai’s Scenario

• People are still traveling via Public Transport.
• Offices are still open even after Maharashtra Government announced them to be closed.
• And people who got Leave to keep Social Distancing and stay home are treating this as Holiday and going out in Gardens, Beaches and Parties.

Around the Country Scenario

Won’t go much deep into this, just keep watching news, you will get to hear many stories. Few famous ones are:

• Ayodhya Mela – Rama Navami 2020. Edit: Event was Cancelled on 20th.
• Shaheen Bagh – Protests against CAA.
• and more…

My point is

Gatherings are still very common. People are still taking this very lightly.

What happens if this continue?

There are four stages of Virus Outbreak. And we are at No. 2.

There is no hiding the fact that India has Population problem. If the situation worsens then our Hospitals won’t be able to handle huge no. of positive patients and many will die eventually.

We all know what is happening in Developed Nation like Italy. There is scarcity of resources like Ventilators, Beds, etc in hospitals. I am afraid to think what will happen in India.

No Government will be able to handle such crisis.

My agenda here is not to create panic but to give Chills.

How to Prevent?

To break the chain there are only few options:

• Isolation: Social Distancing and Self Quarantine.
• Keep Hands clean with soap frequently and properly. (Yes, like Bunty)
• Avoid touching your face.
• Wear masks if close to any positive cases. Otherwise masks are not required.
• Keep at least 2 meters distance from everyone.

Messages on Social Media

There are messages floating around in the Social Media and WhatsApp that Janata Curfew will help to break the chain of Corona Virus. Those messages provides scientific reasoning that Virus’ life on surface is only 12 Hours so by following Janata Curfew i.e for 14 hours, virus will die and it will not spread. But this is not true, even WHO still doesn’t have clarity that for how long Virus’ can survive on surface. Facts Below.

Then is Janata Curfew just a Marketing Stunt?

Yes. It markets the idea of strengthening the war against Novel Corona Virus.

Should you participate?

It is a challenge just like ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. Where many Indians also participated in it.

For those who don’t know, ALS is a disease. The frequency of ALS cases in India is 5 in 100,000. It’s not even contagious. Challenge was an activity involving the dumping of a bucket of ice water over a person’s head, either by another person or self-administered.

If we can participate in ALS Ice Bucket Challenge then we can definitely participate in Janata Curfew.

Janata Curfew will create awareness among the people who are taking this lightly. People will try to remain Isolated as much as possible. Indirectly this will help break the chain of Novel Corona Virus, at least by some percentage. This will lighten the burden on the Doctors and the ones in the Medical Industry a bit.

Facts

Can I catch COVID-19 from surfaces or packages?

How long does the virus survive on surfaces?

It is not certain how long the virus that causes COVID-19 survives on surfaces, but it seems to behave like other coronaviruses. Studies suggest that coronaviruses (including preliminary information on the COVID-19 virus) may persist on surfaces for a few hours or up to several days. This may vary under different conditions (e.g. type of surface, temperature or humidity of the environment).

If you think a surface may be infected, clean it with simple disinfectant to kill the virus and protect yourself and others. Clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water. Avoid touching your eyes, mouth, or nose.

Is it safe to receive a package from any area where COVID-19 has been reported?

Yes. The likelihood of an infected person contaminating commercial goods is low and the risk of catching the virus that causes COVID-19 from a package that has been moved, travelled, and exposed to different conditions and temperature is also low.

Source: WHO

Disclaimer: This is an observation and an opinion. If any facts/stats are mentioned and are incorrect. Mention me at @jigar_dhulla on Twitter, I will rectify it.