Greater responsibility
It has become a case of a Hamletian dilemma for the Indian government to take a call on ending the lockdown. The decision that involves lives on the one side and livelihoods on the other would always be difficult to arrive at. The lockdown is believed to be ending as usual, if one goes by signs from the government. Even though there could be evidence of a slowing down as far as the virus spread is concerned, the government should not forget the many thousands of migrant workers left stranded and the many more who are poor and living on a thread with meagre support. The economy and livelihoods have taken a big blow even during the first phase of the lockdown. The hard task is to convince people to still follow the same norms. It should be made clear that the onus of being safe will now lie more on the individual than it is now.
Dr. D.V.G. Sankararao,
Nellimarla, Andhra Pradesh
The Vitamin C debate
Since 1970, there have been heated debates for and against the use of Vitamin C. But the focus is on the role of Vitamin C as an immune system booster, protecting us from infections such as the coronavirus, as recommended by Dr. Rajan Ravichandran, a senior nephrologist of Chennai (Tamil Nadu, April 27). While recommending the intake of Vitamin C, he has also raised a scare, citing the case of a 74-year-old man in Belgium who developed serious kidney problem due to high doses of Vitamin C for a week. The most common side-effect of high doses is diarrhoea if taken on an empty stomach. On kidney stones, Dr. Ravichandran has cited an odd case from Belgium and not a flood of such cases in Chennai or India. A medical team led by Dr. Sushila Kataria, physician at Medanta Medicity Hospital, Gurugram, Delhi NCR, has successfully treated 11 Italian nationals who were admitted with COVID-19. She has gone on record that Vitamin C and a new drug, Tocilizumab, were given to these patients.
Dr. Vijaya Ganesh,
Chennai
Notes from nature
The front page photograph, of a flamboyance of flamingos, in a wetland in Chennai was a visual delight. (Page 1, “Bird’s eye-view”, April 27). In the lockdown, smog has given way to clear skies, pollution levels have dropped considerably, and animals and birds are moving about on their own accord. The lockdown has given us a glimpse of what the world might look like if we live sustainably. Environmentalist Jonathon Porritt has said: “Humankind’s greatest priority is to reintegrate with the natural world.”
R. Sivakumar,
Chennai
Contrasting earth days! One can easily work out the sheer contrast between the manner Earth Day was observed on April 22 in 1970, and on the same day in 2020, “A nation wide clean-up campaign” (OpEd page, ‘From the Archives – Fifty Years Ago’, April 27, 1970). Perhaps we have still not understood what mother earth needs. Rallies and campaigns cannot heal the planet. Human activities do need a relook.
Deepika Jain,
New Delhi
Chance for Kerala
People have still to find their feet in terms of the lockdown, and as far as Kerala is concerned, there could be more unsettlement. It could be in the form of expatriates returning home, most of them from West Asia. For an economy and a State dependent on foreign remittances, this will come as a double blow. This crisis should be a chance to create investment-friendly opportunities. It is time to bring about a change in the attitude of the labour force, shedding militant trade unionism which has been the stumbling block to investment.
Sharada Sivaram,
Kochi
