Down the drain goes social distancing

By Uzma Zafar

The coronavirus pandemic is all around us. People have different views over the issue. Most of us our scared, not for ourselves, good or bad, we have lived our lives but yes, we fear for our offsprings and our future generation! But then we are the aware lot, the educated and cautious lot who know what social distancing means and how it is mandatory for keeping the virus at bay from us and in turn, our families. We might be momentarily depressed that we are locked up at homes, our kids might be confused about what’s going on around, but still we know that safety is better than anything and we are waiting for the time when we would be able to breath the fresh air again and go shopping together, dine out and take our kids out to the parks!
However, we are not the majority! At one end the government and private schools are providing education online, allowing us to order anything and everything of grocery items at home, never stopping the home deliveries of various fastfood outlets, there our poor lot who are the majority, are simply shrugging off the whole thing like it is not really there. We keep seeing men coughing and throwing away their snot here and there, without any distress. At vegetable and fruit mandi, despite the disinfectant walk-through gates, the people who are gathered are like bees on nector, shoulder-to-shoulder, without any distance at all.
The government is implementing social distancing at various stores. Masks and precautionary equipment like hand senitizers are easily available in the markets. What else can our PM do? Everybody is complying by the SOPs set by the government, most of everybody, except some of the very elites and the poor lot! For the elites it is something that can’t possibly infect them and they are living in delusional worrld but still they are better off as they can afford treatment at least, but who can talk sense into the herd of poor clan who think that this who pandemic is just a controversy to lay them off from their duties and nothing is really the matter around!
We can see in this picture that the people are standing in long ques outside the NADRA office, putting the whole strategy of social distancing at shame. Unlike the neighbouring country India where the shootings are put on hold, our dramas are being aired as we first shoot the entire project and then put in on screen, rather than shooting side by side.
We have so many chgannels for entertainment, all the necessities are being delivered at home, what else do we need? We have hope at least that this time would pass and we would then be able to gather again! But what can be done of the approach of us as a nation, who throw away garbage from our car windows saying; ‘Proud to be Pakistanis’! We ignore the rudeness of our sons as ccompared to the daughters saying ‘Boys would be boys!’ And these days we are saying; ‘Corona, aye ga tou dekh lein gay’! For the PM I am sure this time would be very frustrating as he is unable to explain to the lot what we are facing these days!
It is the social responsibility of us all to explain one way or the other, to the underprevilleged lot that this time is not going to end provided we follow the SOPs. We can educate our domestic servants and they can in turn, change the mindset of their families. We cannot just leave everything in the hands of fate and the government. If every one of us do our part, we would then, only then, come out of it alive and kicking!