Write a letter to the Editor on the following topic:
You are Amar / Sheela, a student of T.D Public School, Delhi. You are
happy about the improvement in the environment due to the
sustained lock down but you are concerned that conditions will once
again deteriorate now with restrictions being lifted in most places.
Write a letter to the editor of a newspaper suggesting some
measures to prevent this from happening.
Answers
The interview with G.V.S. Murthy of the Indian Institute of Public Health, Hyderabad, on COVID-19 and people with disabilities, has shown the importance in providing preventive messages in an accessible format to this section of the population (Inside pages, “‘People with disabilities have special issues during virus outbreak”, April 13). During a crisis, it is very important to ensure that containment and mitigation activities do reach all sections in society. While international agencies and various governments are developing innovative guidelines to manage the pandemic among the elderly, people with chronic diseases and pregnant women, people with disabilities appear to be alone. This is all the more important as the visually handicapped depend upon touch for most of their activities. Many of the curent dos and don’ts of safe practices in the pandemic affect the handicapped in numerous ways. International and national agencies working for disability rights should coordinate with the Indian government to overcome the hurdles and reach out to the disabled.