Until not long ago, we didn’t essentially need to have a ‘purpose’ in stepping out of the house. If at all, the purpose could just be ‘excursion’ — the kind that’s made of fun and joy. We had countless places to go to — amusement parks, history museums, movie theatres, art galleries, public libraries, sports grounds and so on. And we had friends, and friends of friends to hang out with. Today, we can’t even ‘drive around’ in groups. In a world plagued by Covid-19, community spaces are all shuttered (barring the mosques), and venues for entertainment closed. While the shopping malls have recently been allowed to reopen, albeit with caution, the cinema screens housed in these malls remain shut. The food courts are deserted, except for the takeaway counters.

In a lockdown, partial or otherwise, there’s an inevitable sense of isolation and the ensuing grief and shock. For those of us prone to depression, it’s a downward spiral. Their anxiety ramps up, the more they battle it.

As the cases of the pandemic-stricken continue to rise, and the death toll keeps climbing, the government is forced to weigh stricter regulations. Perhaps, it should instead consider more stringent means to impose the regulations, especially in the light of how all safety protocols of social distancing and wearing protective gear were blatantly violated at the city’s marketplaces around Eid.

We could also do with some innovation. Dubai recently set up its first drive-in cinema, to cater for the theatre-starved audiences while keeping them at a safe distance from one another. Things like these could help to temper the panic.