Physical distancing should be permanent

Before the outbreak, we took pride in walking or standing so close that people would collide with one another

Covid-19 that surfaced in China in December 2019 spread like wildfire across the world, and in less than three months, more than 200 countries were hit by this virus with WHO declaring it a global pandemic.

This is a potentially fatal virus that can be transmitted when an affected person closely interacts with a healthy person.

In the absence of any vaccine, the world has decided that imposing a lockdown and following social distancing is the only method to stop the spread of the virus.

I am of the view that it is not social distancing, but actually physical distancing from people around us that we require — in markets, public gatherings and other places.

Coming back to Covid-19, like other countries, Pakistan also imposed a lockdown and issued guidelines regarding the implementation of physical distancing. The Government of Pakistan and all provincial governments collectively decided on a lockdown for the country’s safety during the last week of March.

The initial days of lockdown were difficult but as days went on, people started to adopt a lifestyle where they were following a timetable to buy groceries and carry out other chores.

The nation in the initial few months followed the SOPs diligently. Fortunately for Pakistan, from June onwards, the intensity of the virus started to reduce, and today Pakistan has a very low number of active cases and the Sindh government is now contemplating winding up special facilities set up for Covid-19 patients

Where Covid-19 brings a lot of negativity for people, I believe that physical distancing imposed during the peak days of this virus was a good decision for society, and governments should think about making this a permanent feature for the country.

Before the outbreak, we as a nation took pride in walking or standing so close that people would collide with one another. This collision in crowded public places had become an accepted norm of society.

During Covid-19 days, with all the stress I was going through, I always felt comfortable buying groceries and doing other chores while maintaining a reasonable distance from others around.

By following physical distancing permanently, women can be protected from harassment. It is a dark face of society that men in crowded places shamelessly grope women, who mostly endure this quietly. Women face this problem in every nook and corner of the country including public transport. I for one want strict implementation of social distancing on a permanent basis to protect them from this heinous act.

Pickpockets roaming around also look for crowds to carry out their activities. We all have come across incidents where we lost our belongings because a criminal taking advantage of the crowd and people’s habit of moving close to each other to carry out criminal activity successfully.

Smoking in public places is banned but unfortunately people in our country violate it with impunity. Smokers are so senseless that they exhale smoke carelessly even in elite restaurants with no concern about people in their surroundings. As an asthma patient allergic to cigarettes this behaviour in public places discomforts me greatly.

I believe other than the above mentioned benefits, people must have observed some other benefits of physical distancing too.

If a new wave does not break out, Pakistan will soon abandon all guidelines followed during the Covid-19 pandemic. In this situation, I want local governments, provincial governments and market organisers to come up with a solution to make physical distancing a permanent feature everywhere, and strict fines and punishment should be imposed on violators. As everyone is talking about a new normal, it is an appropriate time to implement physical distancing — a real and permanent new normal for our society.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 19^th, 2020.

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