write a letter to the editor of the national daily newspaper emphasises the need for the common masses to work in collaboration with the government
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Answer:
Apropos the editorial, “Not a time to panic” (March 13), it is imperative to take action against the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic but we are fearing an apocalypse and reacting accordingly in sheer madness. Conferences and public events have been cancelled, weddings postponed and schools have been closed fearing the spread of the virus. Businesses did quite well out of the disease. The sales of respiratory masks, hand sanitisers, anti-fever medicines and similar drugs have skyrocketed. If we are to avoid the so-called ‘coronavirus apocalypse’, we need to be guided by evidence, science and collaboration, not hype, hyperbole and impulse.
S.S. Paul,
Chakdaha
15
OPINION LETTERS
LETTERS
Letters to the Editor — March 14, 2020
14 MARCH 2020 00:05 IST
UPDATED: 14 MARCH 2020 00:33 IST
Science, not hyperbole
Apropos the editorial, “Not a time to panic” (March 13), it is imperative to take action against the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic but we are fearing an apocalypse and reacting accordingly in sheer madness. Conferences and public events have been cancelled, weddings postponed and schools have been closed fearing the spread of the virus. Businesses did quite well out of the disease. The sales of respiratory masks, hand sanitisers, anti-fever medicines and similar drugs have skyrocketed. If we are to avoid the so-called ‘coronavirus apocalypse’, we need to be guided by evidence, science and collaboration, not hype, hyperbole and impulse.
S.S. Paul,
Chakdaha
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Preventive measures
The focus now is only on containment, not prevention, especially with a vaccine still not in sight. Shutting down schools, cinemas, travel, etc. are short-term measures. These cannot continue for ever. The government and civic agencies should now focus on prevention, as any virus spreads through unclean environments and also destruction of environments. While there are rules and laws, implementation is extremely poor. So, we have garbage in public places, overflowing drains and sewage, polluted rivers and lakes and animals moving to human habitation. Forests and wildlife reserves are being destroyed to make way for highways, dams and resorts. Now, it is for the government to see how it can make India clean and green, rather than invite more such virus attacks.
G. Padmanabhan,
Bengaluru
Scientific outlook
We feel a deep sense of precariousness in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. We realise how fragile and vulnerable we are to outbreaks of infectious diseases. It is as if we are suddenly blindsided and brought to a standstill by the pestilence.