COVID-19

உலக வரலாற்றிலேயே கொரோனாவுக்கு முன் (கொ.மு) கொரானாவுக்குப் பின் (கொ.பி) என்று சொல்லக்கூடிய அளவுக்கு நிலைமைகளைப் புரட்டிப் போட்ட இந்த வைரஸ் தாக்கம், சென்னையிலும் இதுவரை  கண்டிராத ஒரு மிகப்பெரிய நிலைமாற்றத்தை உருவாக்கிக் கொண்டிருப்பதன் விளைவாக அதன் அடையாளமான ’வந்தோரை வாழவைக்கும் சென்னை’ என்பதை அது இழந்து கொண்டிருக்கிறதா என்ற ஒரு கேள்வி இன்று நம் முன்னே நிற்கிறது. ’புதிய இயல்பு நிலை’ கொஞ்சம் கொஞ்சமாக உருபெறத் துவங்குகையில் சென்னை இனி முன்பு போல் இருக்கப் போவதில்லை என்ற சமிக்ஞை கிடைக்கிறது. ஆம், அதன் மக்கள் தொகை, பரபரப்பு, ஏதோ ஒன்று செய்து பிழைத்துக் கொள்ளலாம் என்று இங்கு வந்து சேரும் மக்களின் வரத்து என எல்லாமே மாறிவிட்டிருக்கப் போகிறது. சென்னை என்றாலே அனைத்து வித மக்களையும் பாரபட்சமின்றி அரவணைக்கும் அதன் தன்மைக்குப் பெயர் போனது. அதனால் அதன் ஜனத்திரள் தமிழகத்தின் பல மாவட்டங்களிலிருந்தும் பிழைப்புக்காகவும் பல்வேறு துறைகளிலும் ஒரு உச்சத்திற்கு…

The Maharashtra Government and Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation have bolstered health infrastructure in Mumbai to tackle COVID-19, but insufficient healthcare facilities in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) are affecting the COVID-19 response in bordering districts. MMR is the country’s largest urban agglomeration with eight municipal corporati­ons: Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Kalyan-Dombivli, Mira-Bhayandar, Ulhasnagar, Bhiwandi-Nizampur, and Vasai-Virar, according to MMRDA. MMR is spread over 4,354 sqkm, while the Greater Mumbai region, comprising of Mumbai city and Mumbai suburb, has a geographical area of 437.71 sqkm, about a 10th of MMR. There are currently 92,864 confirmed cases in MMR, almost as much as…

Recently, the state government and BBMP decided to allow apartment RWAs (Resident Welfare Associations) in Bengaluru to set up their own in-situ COVID Care Centres (CCCs). CCCs are facilities where COVID patients with mild or no symptoms can be isolated and monitored. The idea was to relieve the burden on the healthcare system as the city's daily COVID count rose to the thousands. Though the government has released guidelines on community CCCs, setting these up remains a difficult task, requiring RWAs to arrange hard-to-obtain medical equipment and expertise. What are the nuances for setting up a COVID facility for apartments?…

Dharavi, often termed Asia's largest slum cluster occupies 525 acres of prime land in the heard of Mumbai. Photo: YUVA When you walk the streets of Dharavi today, it’s hard to imagine that its crooked but solid houses, informal but sophisticated business networks and heterogenous but distinct culture have been built over the remnants of a Koli fishing village. At the end of the nineteenth century, when industries like leather, waste-recycling, etc. were deemed too hazardous for colonial South Bombay, the peri-urban, swamp land which was home to the Koli fishing community became the saving grace for the displaced industries.…

The Covid-19 crisis has forced many institutions to up their game and work round the clock. Their resilience and efficiency in crisis management has been thoroughly tested over the past few months. The police is one such institution that has been in the forefront. Pushed as it was, into the frontlines of an unfamiliar task – policing a contagion – the institution received as much flak as praise, in varying degree. Relief volunteers who plunged into food and ration distribution, fund-raising and working with migrant labourers, were possibly at a vantage point to assess the role of the police at the…

With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing closure of all educational institutions, India has seen a transition to online teaching at all levels, including in primary and secondary schools.  Predictably, it has not been a very smooth transition, however, and questions have been raised over various aspects of it:  What challenges does it pose for a schooling system that has made rare use of technology as an enabler? What are the ways in which classes are being conducted and how effective are they? Should private schools charge fees for lessons delivered online? How are schools bridging the digital divide that separates the privileged…

When Bengaluru schools started online classes in June, many opposed it citing the lack of laptop access for large sections of students, health concerns etc. Soon after, the state government banned online classes for primary school children altogether. Shukla Bose, Founder and CEO of the non-profit Parikrma Humanity Foundation, however opposed the government ban on classes, even though her own students come from deprived backgrounds. Parikrma Foundation's schools cater to over 1800 students from slums across Bengaluru, with the aim of providing quality education and helping the children break out of poverty. At the time the government banned online classes,…

With Chennai becoming Tamil Nadu’s COVID-19 epicentre, the city’s local economy has taken a hard hit. Many businesses are shutting down due to a multitude of reasons varying from reduced demand among citizens to unavailability of labour following the reverse migration to villages.    But as with most clouds, there is a silver lining here too. While most businesses are staring at an uncertain future, the pandemic has opened up a plethora of opportunities for disinfection service providers. The number of advertisements circulating in social media is testimony to it.  Exploring new avenues According to the Ministry of Health and Family…

Commodification of labour largely ignores the social and domestic life of labourers, treating them as mere cogs in the machine. This oft-repeated saying never came across as starkly as during the country-wide lockdown that was imposed to prevent the spread of COVID-19. While economic activity and its prime drivers – workers – are yet to recover from its effects, several States and cities across the nation, owing to the resurgence of the virus, are continuing to reimpose lockdowns for varying periods. Needless to add that for daily wage workers, the nightmare is unending. The lockdown ordeal left Kotresh Hargondnali, a…

Pregnancy is a tumultuous time for any woman. The mixed bag of emotions can be daunting and exciting in equal measure. But with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the overriding emotion in mothers-to-be has been one of anxiety rather than happiness.  The world may have come to a screeching halt, as it is battles the COVID-19 pandemic. But even in epicentres, children are being born. Because life always finds a way. But there are many questions are making life difficult for new mothers and mothers-to-be: What are your chances of infection?How do you avoid getting infected?What can you do to…