Upakar Poudel
Coronavirus is a serious threat that may not come to your home - your family may be spared the disease. Sheltering in place during community lockdown may protect you your family &children from the risk of infection. However, the pandemic impact will ripple out beyond physical health to financial reality and emotional overload. The most vulnerable populations are the very old and the very young. People are social distancing to protect the medical health of all age groups. During the outbreak of this pandemic “generalized fear and fear-induced over reactivebehavior were common among the public”, while depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder all will be emerged.
Over 3.5 weeks of the lockdown brought on Nepal by the COVID-19pandemic have struck people as a painfully long period of isolation. Social distancing seems to be hitting people even more than the scare of the deadly virus. People are getting highly restive and agitated in spite of social media connectivity. Cases of black marketing, Poverty, Domestic Violence, and Rape have increased in the country during this period. The government is currently all caught up in dealing with the immediate threat of the pandemic, which has disrupted daily life and toppled the markets. It will soon be imperative to consider and take proactive measures about the more long-term effects of the pandemic and a long-drawn lockdown.
Humans have evolved to be social creatures and are wired to live in interactive groups. All people were derived of their daily activities.Being isolated from family, loved ones, friends and colleagues can be unbalancing and traumatic for most people and can result in short or even long-term psychological and physical health problems. It may increase in levels of anxiety, aggression, depression, forgetfulness and hallucinations are possible psychological effects of isolation Personal relationships help us cope with stress, and if we lose this outlet for letting off steam, it results in a huge emotional void which, for an average person, is difficult to deal with. Just a few days of isolation can cause increased levels of anxiety and depression. Mental conditions may be precipitated for those with underlying pre-existing susceptibilities and also show up in many others without any pre-condition.Add to it the looming threat of a dreadful disease being repeatedly hammered in through the media and you have a recipe for many shades of mental and physical distress.
It may affect the psychology of the small children too.children look to their parents for cues on how to relate to their world. When parents are highly stressed, their children feel stressed. Coronavirus can scare children now, which could create emotional problems for months or even years to come. If a child feels overwhelmed by a continual flow of sad or scary news, they don’t understand it leads to confusion about how the world as they know it has changed. This is especially troubling with young children who don’t have the life experience or vocabulary to tell the adults in their life what hurts.
Others on the front line, including health-care workers, first responders, pharmacists, firefighters and supermarket workers, cleaners and truck drivers, cannot stay home with their Children. They are frantically searching for safe childcare. And this is only the beginning of their struggles.Instead, parents will eventually reach a breaking point. Think of their stress from an engineering standpoint. When a bridge collapses, it isn't one vehicle that causes the collapse; it's the constant strain endured by the bridge's suspension that eventually leads to its downfall. A similar analogy can be used here.Talking about emotions is essential for mental health
The lockdown, imposed by the Nepal government since March 24, is likely to serve its purpose of helping to prevent the spread of COVID-19, but it is going to affect people like low castes disproportionately. Daily wage workers and those on the lower end of the socio-economic spectrum will suffer more losing jobs and getting into more debt.
Social isolation has been found to have a correlation with higher alcoholism. The COVID-19 lockdown has brought forced isolation to many. There are youngsters living away from their families, their loved ones, trapped in small apartments with abysmal cooking skills. Many senior citizens living by themselves found companionship by meeting up with age mates in neighborhood parks. They find themselves marooned, deprived of social interaction and also the occasional visits by their children. Lack of playtime with peers is making children irritable and edgy. Loved Couple also may get frustrated.
Daily wage workers and those who are part of the informal economy already suffer from numerous inequalities, including access to healthcare, sanitation and education, which manifests in malnutrition, a lower human development index, and social discrimination and exclusion which may Create a psychological effect to them.
Many Business entrepreneur People have already started to feel hopeless because of the uncertainty surrounding this pandemic. A great deal of them have taken loans and now suddenly they find themselves unable to pay because their businesses are closed and at risk of shutting down entirely. They are at risk of stress and depression.
Staying in a confined space with family is not all a rosy picture for everyone. It can be extremely oppressive and claustrophobic for large low-income families huddled together in small single-room houses. Children here are not lucky enough to have many board/electronic games or books to keep them occupied. Add to it the deep insecurity of running out of funds for food and basic necessities. On the other hand, there are people with dysfunctional family dynamics, such as domineering, abusive or alcoholic partners, siblings or parents which makes staying home a period of trial. A/c to Senior Superintendent of Police Umesh Raj Joshi, spokesperson for the Nepal Police Incidence of suicide Deaths by suicide have continued to occur during the lockdown when other crimes have decreased dramatically, Nepal Police say. Out of 702 cases reported with the police across the country in the first two weeks of the lockdown, 198 cases concerned suicidal deaths.Police say the average daily suicide numbers have hardly changed in last three weeks. The average daily suicide cases reported to the police across the country stand at fourteen. Since the lockdown was enforced on March 24, Nepal Police is still recording twelve-odd suicide cases daily. Loneliness, depression and stress are bound to consume a person with mental illness when they are confined within the walls of their home. And since they cannot reach out to their counselors and friends during this period, there is a high chance of them becoming emotionally volatile. Physical abuse against women has shown a worldwide increase. Heightened anxiety and depression also affect a person’s immune system, making them more susceptible to illness.
Long-term lockdowns bring along a series of social, economic and religious upheavals in societies. The Black Death pandemic of the 14th century, which took a toll of half of the population of China and one-third in Europe, hit all social classes, but the lower classes were worse off for living in closely packed, unhealthy environments. A large workforce had been destroyed farms and factories were abandoned. Wages for labour shot up as did the cost of manufactured goods. There were some positive outcomes too, though at a huge price of death and destruction. Feudalism was hit hard and daily wagers could dictate terms. The economic divide lessened and lifestyles of the working class changed for the better. Religious beliefs underwent a change for many who turned more to science for survival.
The question today is not if there will be similar socio-political changes through the COVID-19 passage WHO experts say it is going to be a long, challenging and damaging battle to entire world. It has to be long-term planning. We need to contain the health and psychological damage to our population by immediately diverting maximum resources towards strengthening our healthcare system. We must manage equitable distribution of food and basic necessities among the disadvantaged classes’ eyes of the concerned authority must be there. We have tripped badly by ignoring their concerns before the lockdown. Any more bungling can result in ugly scenarios of riots and looting for food. There is an urgent need for the government to swing into action to avoid losing credibility. A higher death toll also mean many families losing their earning members and placing a greater responsibility on the welfare system. As many Nepalese people were in abroad in search of job due to this pandemic they were derived from the work by their company neither they can return back to their country or they can send money to their household’s which may create a kind of psychological effects among them I.e. Mental Tensions. Casualties in Nepal are highest in the 19-60 year age-group males and females, which is also the most productive.
When one looks at masses of people trapped in fear and uncertainty, many of them high on anxiety, depression and frustration, it is a volcanic situation which can be triggered off with any little provocation. Crime rate, protests and social unrest have been seen to shoot up in such deprived times all over the world. In India, the communal card has been used time and again by power mongers with sinister designs. The recent convention in Delhi by the TablighiJamaat is being quoted extensively to further the hate campaign against Muslims. The convention was a misguided blunder, but let us keep community vilification out of these sensitive times. It could flare up into racial hatred and violence which will rip apart the secular fibre of our country, weakening the fight against the COVID-19 scourge. Tough times are still ahead let us not make it worse for ourselves.
March 24, 2020, the government announced a nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus in the developing country Nepal. The lockdown has already disproportionately hurt marginalized communities due to loss of livelihood and lack of food, shelter, health, and other basic needs. The government does have a responsibility to protect the health and well-being of the population. The Nepal government is facing an extraordinary challenge to protect over a densely packed people, but ramped-up efforts to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in Nepal need to include rights protections. Concerned Authorities should recognize that malnourishment and untreated illness will exacerbate problems and should ensure that the most marginalized don’t bear an unfair burden from lack of essential supplies. The authorities should immediately order the police to act with restraint while enforcing the lockdown. In several Places, photos and videos show police beating people who are trying to get essential supplies Police have targeted daily wage workers, such as vegetable and fruit vendors, milk sellers, auto rickshaw and taxi drivers, and others delivering essential goods. Police have also allegedly harassed doctors and health workers.
Though this lockdown may be costly for all but it’s only the preventive measures in our county as the pandemic infection spread all over the country our health care system cannot handle the worst situation.
Stay home
Stay Safe.
Stay Happy.