While “stay safe, stay indoors” seems good advice, particularly in the present context to prevent the spread of Covid-19, it appears to be driving people out of patience.
Maya, mother of a three-year-old, now has all the time to take care of her little one. Until recently, she was complaining about the pressure at work place and lack of quality time to spend with her daughter Shreya. “It feels crazy, staying indoors all day. Used to a busy work-life schedule, I just can’t stand this. The day seems long,” she said, acknowledging the need for self-restraint, though.
Her husband works for an IT firm and is quite used to a work-from-home schedule. But with the little girl at home all day (following the closure of the day-care centre), the young parents say they find the going stressful.
For Muthu, a daily-wage earner in an eatery, life seems to have come to a standstill. “I am at a loss. I used to save small money and send it to my aged mother, who lives in my village. Now, I have no job, and the little sum that I have will run out in a day or two. I understand the crucial situation, but for breadwinners like me, any work that will fetch a small amount to keep me going is even more crucial,” he said.
Proactive moves
The streets wore a deserted look for the second day, seeming much quieter than the Janata Curfew day. “There were more walk-ins on Sunday as compared to today. People came to fetch their requirements – from milk to sugar, newspaper, cigarette, shampoo and the like – from around 5.30 in the morning. We decided to down shutters by 7 am (on Sunday), but last-minute business was brisk. It has been dull since dawn,” said Murugan, who runs a kirana store in the neighbourhood.
Meanwhile, some private hospitals in the city have proactively sent text messages to their erstwhile patients apprising them of the tele-consultation facility instead of walk-ins/appointments.