WITH familiarity, fear takes a backseat. This is true of most things in life and isn’t any different for our experience with Covid-19. This accounts for our oscillation between the overly cautious and overly callous phases throughout this year. However, safety lies in consistency and smart adjustments.
As complaints about cold and coughs increase, we must add a little more to our list of precautions. To begin with, in addition to wearing masks and washing hands regularly, we must also ensure that we avoid covid-19 scares by averting covid-like symptoms which are very common in winters, as well. This will be possible by ensuring that we take maximum precautions with the food we consume, the clothes we wear and with how we tackle the cold.
We must also be cautious, alert and not take covid-19 any less serious now.
Gradually, people have gone back to the old ways of being hunky dory with their masks. This is the attitude with which we landed in trouble in the first place. Therefore, we must not let our guards down and must follow SOPs religiously.
Another challenge we may face this winter is the imposed isolation that comes with winters. Coupled with Covid-19, this winter can turn a little more lonely than the by-gone ones. This calls for more and more check on our mental health and also requires us to be accessible to others to provide help, assistance and share a few smiles.
Yet another challenge is to ensure that the winter does not harm those with limited resources.
Winters in Kashmir are challenging because they expose us to the harsh treatment of nature and expose the gaps and fissures in our society more than ever. Those who do not have an easy access to resources will have it extremely difficult. Therefore, community efforts should now be strengthened to ensure that basic necessities are accessible to all and that covid-19 related assistance is not out of reach for those who cannot afford healthcare like a luxury.
Tania Safi
tanias@rediffmail
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