In these difficult times, let me start on a positive note. Tamanna Ali of Bareilly was pregnant. She was due to deliver any day, but her husband was stuck in Noida. Due to the complete lockdown, there was no way he could reach his wife. There was no one who could even take Tamanna to the hospital.

As soon as Hindustan correspondent, Avinash Pandey, came to know of her struggle, he informed the SSP of Bareilly about it. The SSP spoke to the Noida Police commissioner who, in turn, spoke to the additional commissioner of police, Noida, Ranvijay Singh, and asked him to help this couple. Singh arranged a vehicle for Tamanna's husband. The Noida police also ensured that the vehicle was not stopped en route to Bareilly. A little after Anees Khan reached his wife, she delivered a baby boy. The couple named their son Ranvijay Khan after the police officer who helped them in their hour of need. Hopefully, when he grows up, Ranvijay Khan will carry forward the Indian tradition of communal harmony and devotion to duty.

It is heartening that many people and organisations in India have come together with the government to tackle the coronavirus challenge. With each passing day, the bonds of cooperation are becoming stronger. But a lot more need to be done on this front.

Let us first examine the international context.

In Britain, the prime minister, the health secretary and the heir to the throne, Prince Charles, have tested positive for the coronavirus. It was only recently that the British prime minister was heard saying in a press conference that the coronavirus disease, Covid-19, was being presented in an exaggerated manner. This careless attitude has jeopardised not only his life that those of his country's citizens. This mighty empire on which the sun never set has been laid low, as everyone else, by an even mightier virus.

The United States (US) too is in panic mode. True to form, President Donald Trump did not take this disaster seriously in the initial phase. That's why the US is now caught in an unprecedented crisis. It's surprising that the US, the most powerful country globally, with its cutting-edge technology and medicine, was caught short when the disaster hit. New York, one of the finest cities in the world, has been among the worst affected.

Its governor is unhappy with the Trump administration's handling of the situation. The kind of political squabbling on display in the US shows that community spirit and harmony are built on very shaky foundations. It is true that the severity of any epidemic cannot be predicted, but the US, with its economic might and scientific talent, has proved unimaginably inadequate in its ability to mobilise medical and health services for a stricken population.

The situation is worse in Europe. In Spain and Italy, the death toll is increasing steadily. There is a shortage of coffins for those who have died of the virus.

It's understandable that these countries are unhappy with China, which cannot entirely escape some of the blame for not being more transparent when the virus surfaced in Wuhan. It would seem now that Trump may blame China to cover up his own shortcomings in the upcoming presidential elections.

China has also not held back from needling the US on this issue. As the US administration struggles to save lives, Chinese President Xi Jinping has been offering to donate ventilators to European countries. Clearly, he wants to win their support.

Turn to the domestic context now.

Some people allege that the national lockdown does not amount to a comprehensive solution. What was the option at a time when it is impossible to tell who may have the infection and yet be asymptomatic? It is alarming to see photographs of tempos and trucks, people packed like sardines in them, transporting them back to their homes in villages. This is the way how the virus will spread to rural areas, which have very poor health care facilities.

If we succeed in containing or even reducing the impact of the community transmission stage of this infection, India will go down in the annals of medical history. The time has come for Indian society to realise its responsibilities and adopt social distancing for the greater common good. We need to lend a helping hand to the poor as much as we can. This is our tradition. No government can tackle such a crisis of this magnitude just through money and welfare schemes. We must all rise to the occasion.

Shashi Shekhar is editor-in-chief, Hindustan

The views expressed are personal

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