In its much-dreaded second wave, the coronavirus has already got the best of the world. In our part of the globe, the surge in cases recently prompted the government to issue fresh directives on safety related SOPs. Whereas wearing facemasks in public places was mandated, and all markets and convenience stores were asked to shut by 10pm, nothing seems to have convinced the man in the street to comply; not even the alarming data dashboards and stories of woe and grief shared routinely across all media.

Quiz them why they aren’t bothered, and the standard (read popular) reply is a big, fat question mark on the existence/reality of the virus itself. Consequently, while the shopping malls and the like have rescheduled their opening and closing hours (as per government instructions), the common man is still going around, as always. Huge public gatherings and rallies continue, despite warnings.

Make no mistake. This isn’t defiance in the face of gloom; this is pure denial — or, shall we say, ignorance. And this is not being able to tell fact from fiction.

While the pandemic has definitely separated the haves from the have-nots — work from home is a privilege, isn’t it? — no one can justify risking their own lives and the lives of those they come into contact with. Sadly, for most of us, personal hygiene, social distancing and preventives are only fancy terms thrown about by the overly sophisticated. And coronavirus is perhaps a figment of some conspiracy theorist’s imagination.