Covid-19 In India And Duties Of Different Authorities

Introduction

COVID-19 is taking a toll on everyone since the very start. It has, obviously made life more difficult. The circumstances forced everyone to sudden changes which left the life of many people upside down. The most important thing is the number of casualties because of this virus. More than three million people have died all around the world and more than one lakh eighty-nine thousand people have died in India till now. The first case of COVID-19 in India was found in January 2020, where a person in Mohali was tested positive. Till March 2020, one can say that the situation was still in control but after that, it was chaos. The number of cases tested positive daily was rapidly increasing and everyone was under a lockdown. The whole world was paused; everyone was sitting at their homes. Even after taking such strong measures, there was no stopping of the coronavirus, it continued to spread. The only positive factor which can be seen is that even though, there was no proper medicine available for the treatment, the recovery rate in our country was very high from the very start. However, it cannot be ignored that this virus had made many people die an untimely death. The worst part was that if someone died of Corona, they didn't even get to meet their family members before that and even the deceased body was not shown to the family, one did not even get to say a proper goodbye to their loved ones. 

The current situation in India

The Corona Virus reached its peak in India in the month of September during its first wave. After that, there was gradually a decline in the number of active cases in India and around February of this year, everyone was thinking that finally this is going to be the end of corona but India got another shock when after all these months, the number of cases of corona suddenly started getting increasing on a rapid pace. The second wave of corona hit India and we all were again left in a panic situation. The Honorable Prime Minister also officially announced the onset of the second wave of corona in India on the 20th of April, 2020. He also addressed the whole nation and said that we have to together fight this. He also advised the other officials that lockdown should be the last resort because it has left people in dreadful situations to face ahead last year and many people lost their jobs and our country's economy was also badly affected. The cases in this wave have been very rapidly increasing compared to the first wave and this coronavirus is believed to be more deadly and dangerous than the last one. Although, because we already have vaccines now so it is a good advantage but still many people are affected. Many senior citizens are severely affected and are in critical condition. It is also believed that the older citizens who did not took vaccine are the ones who are in a critical situation now. The government has announced that vaccines will be available to people from 01 May 2021.  It is a big relief that we have vaccines available otherwise the situation this time would have been very drastic. However, we can see most of the time in newspapers and social media that there is a huge lack of supplies and services related to COVID. One of the main reasons for the same can be the rapid increase of the number of cases and the shortage of time because of which it is becoming harder for the hospitals to make every facility available to everyone.

Why is there a lack of supply and services related to COVID matters

Shortage of medical supplies and services related to COVID matters is not an issue which is only India is facing but it is rather a global issue. With the COVID-19 spreading like a wildfire, hospitals became short of supplies and services to offer to every single individual. Because of this, we could see in various reports, people lying in the corridors of a hospital, some not getting a bed, lack of oxygen cylinders, and whatnot, even the places to burn the deceased were full. However, the governments and hospitals are trying their best to provide the required medical facilities to every single person. One of the main reasons for such shortage can be the increase in the number of people turning COVID positive on the daily basis and the hospitals and governments are unable to arrange the facilities for a large number of patients. Another reason can be the delay in transportation of such resources. Because of the current situation, even transportation is quite a difficult task to do.  One more reason can be the shortage of workers in the hospital and other places, as we can see this virus communicable, so at times it also affects the medical staff as well and once they are on the suffering side, they cannot help others and hence shortage in services. There is also a lack of products available in the market as the production of such items is also affected by this. Also, because of the COVID-19, patients who were sufferings from various other sicknesses were somehow neglected in certain cases. All in all, the COVID-19 has not just affected people who are suffering from it but all the others as well. 

Responsibilities of different authorities in COVID matters

On 20th April 2020, the Prime Minister, while addressing the nation firstly thanked all the frontline workers like medical staff, para-medical staff, security forces, and police for working hard and trying to keep everyone safe in these terrible circumstances.

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The medical staff and hospitals carry the biggest responsibility of saving the lives of the people. Since, last year, hospitals all around the country are on their toes and trying their best to help the people suffering. Various Pharmaceutical companies have been trying their best in making COVID vaccines and put an end to this virus. Currently, there are three COVID vaccines namely- Sputnik V, Covishield, and Covaxin, available in India which is helping people to reduce the effect of Corona Virus on their body.

The government from the very start of the Coronavirus in India is issuing orders to the different authorities and hospitals to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Various guidelines have been issued by the local, state, and central governments to be followed by the citizen so as to stop the spread of the coronavirus. The very first step that was taken by the government was lockdown. After that, various measures were taken by the government to relax his suffering of the people. People are being vaccinated since January, on the basis of the guidelines issued by the government. The government is trying its best to maintain peace and save people from a panicky situation. Various ministries have been involved in sorting the situation and coming with plans to curb the coronavirus. The Indian government has been very efficient during the crisis however much is left to achieve still. The government has also announced the availability of COVID vaccines in the market from 01 May 2021.

The security forces and police have been responsible for maintaining peace on the land in such drastic circumstances. They are also helping the hospitals and government so that the orders are properly followed by the people so that the situation can be resolved soon. It is helping in the enforcement of laws in the country.  Such emergency situations can have a significant impact on the relation of police with the public trust. Police ensure public compliance with the orders issued related to COVID matters.

Courts have been passing many guidelines and making sure that even in such dire situations; justice is provided to every single individual. 
    • While taking the suo moto cognizance in the case of, “In Re: Distribution of Essential Supplies and Services during Pandemic”, the honorable apex court has issued a notice on 22 April 2021 to the Centre, State governments, Union Territories, and the parties who have approached the High Courts to Show-cause that why uniform orders not be passed by the Supreme Court in COVID related issues.
    • In this case, the court has asked the government to follow the orders passed and report the matters to the court.

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The one thing which I would like to mention here is every authority and staff are trying their best to help every single citizen in this situation and we all need to stand together to come over it.

Conclusion

The circumstances we are facing today are very dreadful and we all have to be very careful. It is not the hospital or the government's responsibility to fight corona but as a citizen and as a part of one nation, it is a mutual responsibility of all of us. We are in this together and it is the responsibility of all of us to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe. We ourselves are responsible to ensure each other's safety from this deadly virus. We all should follow the guidelines provided by the government, the hospitals, and the courts.  We must wear masks and sanitize, so please do that and help in keeping yourself and your fellow humans safe.