Corona Impact

 

Corona Impact

By: Jugal Kishore

                                                                                                                                               

COVID-19 has given a 360 degree turn to the meaning of some terms and expressions. The moment you find your Covid report “ Negative” it gives you a lot of  happiness where as  the “Positive” one sends shivers down to the spine. I received my test report at the dead of night on 10 September 2020, on my forehead appeared some perspiration drops…..

If you kept distance from someone during pre- pandemic times -it indicated your some sort of annoyance with her/him. But now if you “Keep distance”-this is safe and a compulsory directive of government.  .

Schools used to adorn the signboards like: “NO MOBILE PHONE ZONES”. If a student was found with a mobile hidden in his bag/pockets during pre-pandemic times, it was considered almost as a taboo. Serious view was taken by the teachers and at times parents were called and students were reprimanded.  Even teachers were also not permitted to use mobile phones inside their classrooms. But now if a student does not possess a mobile with internet connectivity, schools ask parents to immediately provide the one to their child.

 Before the onset of pandemic, many of us did wash hands casually. Now we get demonstrations by health workers as to how to wash hands. A doctor visited my school in February 2020 and addressed our morning assembly in which she spoke about the onset of the spread of Covid19 and also demonstrated how they should wash hands. Nobody knows when we would come in contact with this deadly virus. I wish people to follow it religiously during post Covid times also.  Do not worry-post COVID 19 times will come. But how many witness that is known to none.

Even a series of training programs would not have trained our teachers so much as how to conduct online classes. But, an invisible virus, has saved government expenses to a great extent. Most of us learnt it by default, or yes, under compulsion.

 But now those students who always wanted to use unfair means in off-line tests have a gala time. Hardly anyone fails! Poor teachers are unable to keep a check on this menace. For this we need to resort to innovative means of evaluation.

I urge each one of you not to venture out these days rather enjoy the company of your near and dear ones. Read, cook, clean your house, sing, dance, write, sleep, do whatever gives you happiness and above all if you need to move out follow COVID Protocol/government advisories.