Pandemic of Fear and Stigma

The pandemic has left people stranded, separated from their families. But when these people finally set out with the hope of reuniting with their loved ones, their dreams are crushed by apartment security. The Residents’ Welfare Societies of many apartments have ensured that only residents of the apartment can move in and out of the complex. People coming back to their own homes from other states are barred from entering the buliding. Even doctors and healthcare workers have received notices asking them not to return to their apartments during the lockdown so as to prevent infection of the residents.

This is happening because of a collective fear of getting infected or being quarantined. People have become paranoid and selfish, depriving others of the basic human need for shelter so that they can feel safe and removed from anything that could infect them.

Fear of quarantine manifests on the other end of the spectrum as well. Interstate travelers seek out any loophole to ensure that they don’t have to spend 2 weeks cooped up in institutional quarantine, and people have even attacked those who attempted to quarantine them, as seen in the Padarayanapura incident.

This deliberate evasion of quarantine can cause a large spike in cases. People travelling from states like Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu could cause the virus to spread in states where the number of cases is still low.

And it has already happened. Many districts in Karnataka have been turned into hotspots because of travelers coming in from Maharashtra. Travelers from Chennai find ways to leave their vehicles at the state border and make their way into Bengaluru, without being quarantined or tested.

Evasion of quarantine and spreading of fake news are now punishable by fine or even imprisonment, but this doesn’t resolve the situation completely. The most dangerous part of this pandemic isn’t the actual virus itself, but the fear and stigma it has caused. Contacts of an infected person are ostracized, even if they test negative for the virus or have completed institutional quarantine. Frontline warriors are shunned, and barred from entering their own homes.

Written by: Krithika Kannan