Lockdown Diaries: One year on, war is not over yet

Between March 2020 and 2021, the city saw it all -- lockdown to vaccines. Now, the latest challenge is to repeat last year's collective spirit to fight the virus

Hyderabad: From #Lockdown to #Vaccinated, a lot has changed in Hyderabad and across the world as well, between two hashtags, between the March of 2020 and the March of 2021. From the heart-wrenching images of hungry children of migrant workers who walked hundreds of kilometres to #StayHome campaigns, and from Dalgona coffee and #MeAt20 challenges on Twitter and Instagram to posed clicks of the most wanted jab of all times, life has undergone an unexpected, in some ways irreversible, transformation.

And as we stare at one year since most heard the word ‘lockdown’ for the first time, change is keeping its promise of being constant. The virus appears to be on the path of resurgence in many places, just as the world was heaving a sigh of relief after the shout of ‘Eureka’ from vaccine laboratories.

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Will life go back to what it was? The short answer could be no. Because the term ‘Work From Home’ is getting etched in most official bylaws. Because Zoom and Microsoft Team meetings are becoming the norm. Because we no longer have to be apologetic about discussions or deals over phone. Because even consultations with the doctor over phone are normal now.

Because, #MaskUp is not just a hashtag anymore and the mask is part of the wardrobe, so much so that there are some who walk about in pajamas but with masks. Because, even if we forget to stock up on deodorants and perfumes, we won’t miss the hand sanitizer. Because, going to malls is not the same anymore, and lakes, dams and long scenic routes on the city’s outskirts are where many go on the weekends. Because, many who were around when the lockdown began were gone, forever, when #Unlock began.

The manner in which Telangana, and the city of Hyderabad, responded to one of the worst crises that humanity has seen will also be remembered for long. Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao had declared the first lockdown in the State before the Centre called for the first 21-day national lockdown. And from being the first to reach out with a helping hand to stranded migrant workers with all expenses paid special train trips to their homes, to the move that drew applause from the UNESCO as well – the Annapurna meal scheme, Hyderabad saw its people rallying around the official machinery when they were required to.

The police personnel who risked contracting the virus by being on the roads to enforce the lockdown, the healthcare setup and response that saw Gandhi Hospital successfully bearing unprecedented pressure, GHMC’s sanitation workers and DRF personnel who dutifully went about disinfecting every nook and cranny – the city did well in 2020, with the latest challenge being how to go about a repeat of last year’s collective spirit to fight the virus. The war is not over yet.

 

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