Away from Covid scare

The coronavirus pandemic has been raging in most parts of the world in varying intensity, including Pakistan, for more than three months. Fortunately, there are 40 coastal villages and settlements with a combined population of around 60,000 located just 30 miles away from the Hawkesbay beach which have remained totally untouched by the deadly virus. Inhabitants of these villages know about the virus only through the word of mouth as they do not have access to modern facilities like TV, mobile phone or, perhaps, even landline phone, internet and other suchlike gadgets. They do not have even transportation facilities. Villagers say off and on they keep on hearing that Karachi city and other parts of Pakistan and the world have been in the grip of a deadly pandemic for months together, and nothing about the nature of the virus that has created an atmosphere of fear. Most villagers are in blissful ignorance as to why Karachi residents have stopped visiting the beaches.

Dwellers of the coastal villages say people do not know what social distancing is nor do they feel the need for this or what goes in the name of other measures to protect from the deadly virus. They say they have a few cattle and fishing nets with which they earn their living. Villagers maintain that they thank God for what they have. Little is sufficient for their needs and they are fully satisfied with their lot. There is no hospital or even a dispensary in any of these villages. Mostly they treat patients with locally available herbs and home-made remedies. If patients need hospitalisation or specialist care they take them to Karachi with great difficulty on their own in the absence transportation facility. Obviously, a clean environment has played a significant role in keeping the coastal villages entirely safe from the pandemic. In this there is also a lesson for those promoting media hype about the coronavirus pandemic for narrow political reasons.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 8^th, 2020.

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