Five years to the hour when COVID-19 lockdown hit home

Five years ago on this day was a period when the words — food, social distancing, oxygen, plasma, PPE (personal protective equipment), N95 mask, contact tracing and Remdesivir — were part of every conversation.

“From 12 midnight today the entire country, please listen carefully, the entire country shall go under complete lockdown. In order to protect the country, and each of its citizens, from midnight tonight, a complete ban is being imposed on people from stepping out of their homes,” these were the words of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 24, 2020 at 8 p.m.

With this one speech, the socio-economic impact of the raging COVID-19 hit homes in India as citizens tried to stock up on groceries and prepare for a life where they could not step out of their homes. This was more harsh than the one-day ‘Janata Curfew’. But beyond the lockdown was the grim reality of want and deaths that stalked the streets of India. Now, the memory of the deaths, economic distress and the mass migration appears like a stranger’s dream for most Indians. Others have not forgotten the horror of a pandemic that killed lakhs of people in the country.

“It’s weird thinking of it now, to think that something of that scale happened and we’ve mostly moved past it. The way it happened it never really gave people the opportunity to grieve properly either. Like there are times when I am looking for a contact number on my phone and a keyword just brings up a host of numbers say for example with blood groups of people because many people needed blood at that time,” says Rikit, currently working at a law firm based in Delhi NCR. He was among the young men who volunteered to help people who were immobile due to lockdown.

It was a period when the words — food, social distancing, oxygen, plasma, PPE (personal protective equipment), N95 mask, contact tracing and Remdesivir — were part of every conversation.

It was also a time, when citizens became more aware of reality as the pace of life slowed down to baking bread or preparing dalgona coffee. “It was only during Lockdown that I realised how precarious the lives and livelihoods of most people was. When schools shut down, students who were unable to access online education dropped out of the system permanently. Yet, at a personal level, despite all the fear and uncertainty, it was a time when I was forced to slow down, and spend more time at home. We developed new routines, and I am forever thankful that I was able to form new bonds with my children before they left for college,” says Natasha Ramarathnam who works in the development sector.

While the bonding at home became a norm, the social isolation was driven home by the Zoom meetings, Wordle success stories, and shared stories of walking on terraces.

“Lockdown had its own ups and downs. While not going to the office was exciting initially, seeing people only from behind the screens got depressing after a while. I binge-watched, read extensively but not being able to meet friends or socialize or go out for a breath of fresh air quickly became stifling. The constant news of deaths, unavailability of hospital beds brought in anticipatory fear and catching the infection in every wave didn’t help with my mental health either,” recalls K. Padmaja, a communication professional.