Mask? What mask?

Negotiating a world in which no one believes in Covid protocols can be a scary experience

 

What do you do when you are the only person wearing a face mask in a room full of unmasked people? What do you say when the unmasked lady sitting next to you asks, in a very passive-aggressive manner, “Are you very scared of Covid?” 

 

Well, I don’t know what the etiquette in such circumstances is, so I can only tell you what I did. I kept my mask – an N95 no less – resolutely on, refusing to take it off even for the pictures that everyone was posing for. And I responded, as coldly as I could, to the question I was asked. “Yes, I am scared of Covid,” I said, and then added after a beat, “And so should you be.”

 

It’s probably needless to say that she paid no attention to my advice, and continued to keep her face mask off for the duration of the event that we were both attending. As did the rest of the audience in that large hall. 

 

I should not have been surprised, really. Ever since we landed in Amritsar for a book launch, the one thing we had noticed was the complete absence of mask discipline in the city. Nobody on the roads wore masks, not even the policemen. Guests at our hotel cheerfully ignored the signs that specified masks in all public areas and moved around barefaced. And those who did put them on, kept them around the chin area, leaving their noses and mouths unencumbered. 

 

When we mentioned this on Twitter, we were told by some people who had visited the Golden Temple that they had been asked to take off their masks by the guards before they were allowed inside the Darbar Sahib. “Don’t you trust in God to take care of you?” they were asked. There was only one way to respond: and that was to remove their masks.

 

Hurriedly cancelling our own plans of visiting Harmandir Sahib – hitherto an essential stop on every trip to Amritsar, given my Punjabi roots – we settled down in the safety of our own room to recover from this culture shock. Coming from Delhi, where mask discipline is strictly enforced and adhered to (especially after the second wave), this mask-less world took some getting used to. 

 

When I tried to explain this to some of the guests at the book launch the next day, they waved away my fears with an airy, “Oh, there is no Covid in Punjab now. Only 30 cases in the entire state.” Yes, I agreed, but there are only around 30 cases every day in Delhi too, and yet people wear masks to make sure that we don’t have a third wave in a few weeks’ time. Oh Delhi, they muttered exasperatedly, that is nothing like Punjab.

 

There was no good response to that, so I kept my peace and moved on. But this exchange – and many others like it – did get me thinking. Were these people being totally irresponsible and risking sparking a third wave in their city? Or was I being needlessly nervous about contracting Covid in an environment in which nearly everyone was double vaccinated? Were they being stupid or was I just virtue-signaling?

 

Well, you can make up your own mind about that. But, as far as I am concerned, in these times, discretion is the better part of valour. And in the age of Corona, discretion involves masking up in public, especially when indoors, practicing social distancing from people who are not in your bubble, and sanitizing your hands ever so often. So, that’s what I did during my short stay in Amritsar, ignoring the pitying looks being cast in my direction from all the mask-less people around. 

 

And it came as something of a relief to finally land back in Delhi, at an airport where everyone was masked, driving back home on streets where people observed mask discipline. Of course, it felt even better to take off my mask in the sanctuary of my own home. But that, as the saying goes, is another story.

 

Free at last?

The lockdown may be over; but Covid most certainly is not

 

So, we finally have our freedom back. The second wave appears to have receded, the Covid numbers are down, the positivity rate is in single digits again, and the country is finally opening up for business. In Delhi, where I live, offices, shops and malls have been allowed to open (though, mystifyingly, public parks are still shut, though the danger of contracting Corona outdoors is minuscule) as have hair salons and restaurants. And like prisoners who have been cooped up inside four walls for too long, all of us have rushed out to enjoy our first taste of freedom.

 

And while I am as delighted as the next person about the prospect of finally being let out of my house, my first reaction to pictures of crowds at marketplaces and malls is to mutter to myself, “Hey guys, steady on!” 

 

Yes, Covid cases have come down sharply but surely you know that the virus is not done with us just yet. It is lurking in the shadows, waiting for another super-spreader event to cast its tentacles around us yet again, and send us crashing into the much-speculated-upon third wave. And then, we will back to looking desperately for hospital beds, putting out social media calls for oxygen cylinders, and mourning our dead even as we struggle to find room to cremate them with dignity.

 

If we don’t want to go back to those bad old days, we are simply going to have exercise our discretion and handle our new-found freedoms with responsibility. So, what does a judicious use of our freedom entail? What are the dos and don’ts we should adhere to, so that we avoid a third wave?

 

Well, here are some pointers:

 

·      Every time you think of stepping out of your house, ask yourself this simple question: is this trip really necessary? If the answer is yes (you are stepping out to make an essential purchase, for instance, or visit a doctor or call on a family member), then go ahead. But if your answer to this question is no, then it might be a good idea to just stay at home.

·      Choose your outings carefully. It’s okay to drop into a store at off-peak times to indulge in a bit of retail therapy, but wandering through a jampacked mall is a bad idea. It’s okay to visit a friend’s house for a small dinner party with a maximum of ten guests, but attending a wedding with a hundred people in attendance is fraught with risk. 

·      Keep your mask on at all times when you leave the house. It doesn’t matter if you have already been infected with Covid or that you have had both your shots of the vaccine. The only thing we know about Covid is that nobody really knows anything for sure. So, having had the disease or the vaccine is not necessarily a sure-shot defence against the virus. The only thing that we know works for sure is the mask. So, wear one whenever you are in public (or even better, wear two!)

·      Even though the lockdown is over, it still makes sense to keep your social bubble small. The fewer the number of people you interact with, the lesser your chances of getting infected. And remember, it is not strangers that are the greatest risk to you when it comes to getting Covid. It is always more likely that a trusted member of your inner circle will end up infecting you, because it is only with them that you let your guard down.

·      By now we know that infected surfaces are not the greatest risk to us; it is the air we breathe that hosts the contagion. So, as far as possible, avoid congregrating in small, enclosed spaces – especially if they are air-conditioned and lack cross-ventilation – where you end up breathing each other’s air. If you are going to spend time with other people, it’s best to do so in open spaces, where the risk of infection is far less. And God, and the Delhi government willing, hopefully we will be able to do that soon.

Out with the old

We can’t wait to bid goodbye to 2020; but let's do it with style and care

 

It’s only a matter of days before we can kiss goodbye to 2020. And frankly, the end can’t come soon enough for me – and, I’m sure, for the rest of you as well. 

 

It’s been quite a ride, hasn’t it? We’ve been locked down for months thanks to this dreaded pandemic, we have seen Covid wreak its ravages among our friends and families, and some of us have even contracted the virus ourselves and are still combatting its long-term effects. Of course, life has slowly been limping back to normal and we have all rejoiced at the good news that vaccines for coronavirus will be available to us in a matter of months.

 

So, with a bit of luck, 2021 should be a better year than this one has been. And yet, as we countdown to a New Year, our thoughts inevitably turn to how we can bid goodbye to the one we have just lived through.

 

It’s a tricky one, isn’t it? We can’t really party as we do every year-end, getting tipsy and dancing badly to playlists put together by our friends. And it’s a risky proposition to set off for some scenic destination to bring in the New Year, given that we may well be exposed to the virus in the course of our travels. (It really would be a pity to get Covid now, when the vaccine is just within our reach, just because we fancied a holiday on the beach!)

 

All of that is indisputably true. But despite all that, as a race we are genetically programmed to mark the transition into the New Year with some sort of celebration. So, what would be a Covid-safe way to celebrate?

 

Well, first off, it would be a good idea to stay at home this year. Spend the money you have saved by not heading for an overpriced vacation on a decent bottle (or three) of wine or champagne, order in a nice meal (biryani always hits the spot), put on some nice music, and spend the evening snuggling up to your significant other. (Dressing up is not obligatory, but it’s always nice to make an effort.)

 

To be honest, this is how I spent all my New Year’s Eves even before the pandemic hit. No, we were not always at home – those were the halcyon days when you could travel across the world without a thought – but even if my husband and I were dining in fancy restaurants, it was always a deux. And if you ask me, there’s no better way to ring out the old and ring in the new than a quiet, intimate evening with the person you love most in the world.

 

But if you are more sociable than we are, well then, you can expand your guest list just a tad. If you have a bubble going with some friends and family – and you are sure that they have been observing all the Covid protocols – then you can host a soiree at your place. It’s best if you keep this outdoors to reduce the risk of transmission, and keep the numbers down to the bare minimum. And remember, no kissing anyone other than your partner when the clock counts down to midnight.

 

If the prospect of entertaining at home makes you break out in hives, then opt for a staycation. Most city hotels offer packages for the New Year, and you can put together a small group if you want to celebrate with friends or family. There’s always a fancy dinner, with all the trimmings, on offer. But the best part is waking up the next morning, and ordering a slap-up room service breakfast that you can eat in bed. For me, that is the ultimate luxury!

 

And then, there is always the option of going completely old school and marking the New Year with that old staple: the family picnic. The weather is just right to pack some alu parathas, samosas, pakoras, and a flask of tea and coffee and head out to a scenic park near your location, where you can catch a light snooze in the sunlight after stuffing your face.

 

But however you choose to celebrate, here’s wishing all of you a Happy New Year. (Well, it certainly can’t be any worse than this one!).