The DOT Talks Webinar on ‘The Viral and the Virtual: Looking through the Pandemic’ led by Dr. Prasenjit Biswas, Department of Philosophy, North Eastern Hill University (NEHU), Shillong, presented that the Coronavirus itself is neither viral nor virtual, but its impact is.
Stating that the impact of COVID-19 has been tremendous in all spheres of life, the speaker touched on the issue of ‘lockdown’ which according to him is a good measure but is not the permanent means to end the pandemic, but rather has been enforced only for the time being till nations are ready with weapons to counter the pandemic.
Dr. Prasenjit also addressed the issue on excessive use of force by law enforcing agencies while imposing lockdown, the poverty, hunger, unemployment suffered by migrants during lockdown, and the topic of quarantine centers and the conditions in such centers.
A certain advantage of the lockdown is that it brings communities together, Dr. Prasenjit maintained, and urged that communities need to treat returnees from overseas with equal amount of respect and provide safe spaces for them while in quarantine.
During the quarantine period, the government needs to be very sensitive to the needs and welfare of the people, he observed stating that “we are not fighting the ailing but the ailment.”
The talk also elaborated on how pandemic has stifled the space of freedom in many different ways.
In order to fight the invisible enemy, Dr. Prasenjit asserted that India needs to build its people by discussion or rebuilding its communities and not by dictation all the time. On the people’s part, he observed that there can be no tangible outcome without public cooperation.