The SMS Season

The COVID-19 has been highly active and there are no signs of the spread coming down in many parts of the World.  More so in the Major Cities of India.  Countries that had their bit of suffering from COVID-19 until few weeks ago, have started witnessing another wave of the Virus attack.  From China to Brazil and from India to USA, there is no dearth of Contributors to the daily tally of numbers.

The COVID-19 has been very unpredictable and has dented the reputation of many Virologist and specialist.  It has cheated many number crunchers and analyst as well.   The initial euphoria of staying together with the family during the Lockdown has now turned into boredom and frustration for many.

The LFH and WFH, Learn from Home and Work from Home has become the most popular abbreviations of recent times.  The Virus has decimated the Privacy of people who normally stay at home and are not working or studying.  Suddenly, the Technology has entered deep into our homes and is threatening to become a permanent member of our Family.

The surge of second wave of cases has caused more concerns to all Governments.  The Airborne ability of this Virus has been experimented daily and few scientists have informed WHO that the Virus is Airborne.  With this revelation, a new round of fear has been injected in the minds of much of the world population.  There is no clarity or vicinity to predict when this would end.

COVID-19, the uninvited guest of this world is trying to overstay here.  Looking at the number of years it has taken to reduce many Viruses in the past, it is evident that this would also take some time to bring into control, even if we have medication for this.  When we still have Dengue Fever doing the rounds every now and then.  We should be prepared for similar rounds of COVID-19 attacks on mankind.

The best one can do is SMS.  SMS stands for Soap/Sanitization, Mask and Social Distancing.  SMS does not cure COVID-19 but it surely reduces the chances of getting it.   SMS also prevents the Virus from spreading.  So, this main mantra and medicine for the current COVID-19 season is SMS. 

The more we follow SMS, the better for us.  Proper cleansing of your hands and Sanitizing things touched by others or brought from outside is important to reduce the chance of Virus entering our body and homes.  Wearing Mask is not just an act of self-prevention but also an act of respecting others.  It is a two-way system.  You try to prevent inhaling or letting in any Virus particles into your body and at the same time do not allow others to suffer from whatever impurities or Virus you might have.  Social Distancing, the most difficult to make it a practice, is meant to avoid any contact with the Aerosols that may be around a person.  Social Distancing should be very carefully maintained at home as well, especially, when we have Vendors or Technicians or any Guests visiting us.

Irrespective of whether it is a droplet or aerosol of the Virus that could be airborne for a distance, following the SMS procedures is the main weapon one has got in the fight against COVID-19.  All three aspects are important.  For example - Just wearing Mask and not maintaining Social Distancing or Sanitizing is not going to be sufficient.  Similarly maintaining Social distancing without wearing Mask or Sanitizing regularly is not going to help much.  All three of them should be done together. 

Since this COVID-19 is likely to be present for few years until it is fully knocked down.  It is better to make SMS as part of our life.  It must become a habit for one and all.  Those who have travelled to Japan and Hongkong in the past, would have noticed that many people wearing Mask when they walk in public places.  Many of them follow sanitization at well.  This could be one of the reasons why COVID-19 did not spread that much in those countries.  Though the Virus started early in these Countries the Citizens managed to bring down the spread.  

The Governments shall do their part in doing their perceived best in bringing down the COVID-19.  But we cannot clap hands in one hand.  The Citizens of the world should their part.  It must be a coordinated effort.  If we, the people cannot take precautions of our own, we cannot expect any Government to do anything in the fight against COVID-19, because the fight is against an invisible enemy. 

What we can do is extremely easy compared to what the Governments need to do.  Just Simply SMS.  In messaging, many people avoid SMS and have moved to WhatsApp or Telegram to communicate.  This SMS should never be avoided, even if this Virus is controlled.  This SMS practice is not a remedy against COVID-19.  But it is a good practice against all Viruses.  Let us all SMS together and do our bit for our own Safety and that of our fellow humans around us.