Covid-19 Pandemic: Shifting the Lens

Rajiandai Bariam

Hyderabad

 

The greatest crisis has also given birth to the greatest transformation in history. It can offer immense hope in ushering a new world. The COVID 19 pandemic cost and tested the global community a great deal in terms of health, lives, food, businesses and national relations. It is one of the biggest challenges in decades even as it witnessed a spike in cases of fake news, racism, xenophobia, heavy handedness from the authorities and violations of human rights in terms of food accessibility and right to life.

 

The pandemic had been devastating and wrecked our economies, stock markets, steep rise in job loss and unemployment yet such difficult times also presents the world with the opportunities for long lasting structural changes that could be more just, equitable and sustainable. In terms of health, Cuba with a welfare health care system had coped with the pandemic much better than the richer neighbour US with a private health system. The pandemic laid bare the structural inequalities and deep problems openly.

 

Such a time where the global populace, rich or poor, young and old, laymen and leaders, focuses on the pandemic, it presents the global world and each nations with an opportunity to capitalise on this moment to usher in a much more just and equitable system that equally takes care of everyone. This pandemic had taught us that we are all interrelated and everyone’s health and safety is crucial for everyone. UN Human Rights Treaty Bodies called for human rights based approach to fight COVID 19. Organistion like CESR advocated for a greater levelling by asking to cancel the debts of the poor nations and urges the rich countries to contribute to the relief funds for the developing nations.

 

As people are locked down under quarantine at home and when everyone has the time to think and assess, the issues of domestic violence, the volatility of the nature of jobs under the liberal economic system, and the inefficiency of manyhealthcare system were exposed and drawn focussed attention. The lockdowns also gives a taste of the dangers of brute measures of militarisation, brutal clampdowns on formal and informal jobs with blanket regulations which caused so much stress on people’s welfare that could have been avoided.

 

In this midst, the pandemic is also an eye opener on how many philanthropic individuals and civil organisations came forward as a buffer to the stress and shock to the millions around the world. Yet, this emergency measures must engage with and usher in the needed long term structural changes. As several food scientists along with various civil rights organisations had advocated, the emergency measures must go hand in hand with the long term structural change. Many researches pointed the pandemic to a plausible problem of industrial food system. Speaking on pandemics, Rob Wallace blames the lack of diversity in an industrial farm like hog or poultry farm as a fertile ground to act as a kind of an immune firebreak which makes for easy transmission from hog to hog, causing immune depressions leading to a breakout of a virulent pathogen.

 

Nevertheless, the covid 19 pandemic is often perceived as an alien communicable virus invasion into our neat homes spreading through infected droplets. Yes that is emergency diagnosis for emergency precaution. Yet, as much as we want to think that it will be fine as long as we keep washing our hands, the virus looks much more likeour own making. We had been growing and rearing a possible outbreak. According to GRAIN, pigs is one obvious candidate for several reasons for the present pandemic. In that light, the pandemic system is deeply interwoven into our food system and the virus is closer to us than we could ever imagine.

 

The world is weak and feeble and nothing is certain. Every mind is curious and vigilant. And this is the opportune time for a concerted effort to press towards a system that safeguards everyone. Such historic moments are rare and we shouldn’t let it simply passed by us.