What will social life be like after the extended lockdown ends? Shall we embrace our friends again, shake strangers' hands? How many times a day will we feel compelled to wash our hands, each time for 20 seconds? How will we treat people who commit the crime of coughing or sneezing in public places? If you have a fever, should you automatically self-quarantine so that it is not captured by a thermal scanner? Perhaps we should at least be prepared for paranoia, wandering tempers and enthusiastic policing of public behavior, at least in the early stages.
"There is disappointment among people who do not follow the norms of social disturbance," says Kanika K Ahuja, associate professor in the psychology department at Lady Shri Ram College for Women in Delhi. She had recently published a study titled, 'Probing Pandemic Pandemonium: A Real-Time Study of COVID-19 Stress, Coping and Psychological Consultations in India', which covered the responses of 1,009 people from 10 states. , Which showed that people are maintaining physical distance even within "homes". ". Touch, Ahuja says," releases endorphins. It has a strong healing effect. "She encourages people to" hold hands, hug, be physically intimate ", but" only in their homes In ". Will an increased warning on public displays of friendship and solidarity affect the way we approach and react to those outside our closest circle of relatives and friends? Ritu Priya Mehrotra, Center for Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi Professor in Social Medicine and Community Health, ject rejects 'social distancing' as the phrase of the new normal, both negative and inaccurate. "What we want," she says, is "physical disturbances but social bonds . "The latter will take some work, a major rebuilding of confidence. Mpower 1on1, a mental health helpline in Maharashtra, receives over 400 calls each day. Janvi Sutaria, a clinical and health psychologist, notes that the callers, Afraid of COVID-19, often feeling better "Just listening to the words 'You are not alone'."
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Nevertheless, whatever their concerns, the middle class, Mehrotra observes, will likely adapt to post-coronavirus viruses more easily by exacerbating pre-existing class differences. But for a large part of the country which is working class and poor, physical distance is an unattainable luxury. Surviving every day, when work is likely to be scarce, and a wave of food insecurity, will take precedence over the nuances of new social etiquette. Public transport in the most affected states will have to be changed to reflect concerns over physical distance. The Indian Railways is avoiding such measures as it is required to leave the middle berths empty in three-tier compartments, stop pantry services and bring passengers their own beds. In Mumbai, BEST buses, which carry more than three million passengers per day, plan to continue with the current lockdown measures, with one rider for every two seats and no standing allowed. Its economic consequences are likely to be significant. For example, the busiest international airports have already expressed reservations about the practicality of maintaining a strict distance of up to two meters between passengers.
For months, possibly well into the next year, experts expect it to be a formidable venture, with significant procedures and long wait times. Many will travel all over, psychiatrist Drs. Harish Shetty estimates. "There will be a fear," he argues, "from visiting places, even at once popular tourist destinations, where there have been too many infections, or that have been prevention zones." Those who choose to travel whenever they lift the ban should expect to be treated with suspicion. This would be, psychologists suggest, a hangover from the painful lockout. A couple in Mumbai, a businessman and his wife, a yoga instructor, said that despite self-quarantine upon returning from a foreign trip, they had to face enmity with the management of their building. After three days, they say, "By eating only biscuits and canned foods, we allowed our neighbors to deliver groceries at the entrance of the building. We were told that we would collect our groceries late at night Do so that we can minimize any contact with other residents. Still shaken by the experience, the couple say they don't know "will we ever forget how they have treated us".
Many such lockdown stories can be told, including healthcare and other essential employees who were delisted by neighbors. Equally, stories of kindness and community solidarity and participation of those who have been helping their neighbors and less fortunate. But, worldwide, we are likely to have a finite, narrow perception of the community. A large, fat Indian wedding, for example, would certainly have to be reconsidered until at least one vaccine was discovered. For religious ceremonies and ceremonies, from Korea to Delhi, the virus's super-spark
