Janta Curfew

Date: 22 March 2020
Day: Sunday

It was the day when there was going to be a janta curfew. The literal definition was that it was not an imposed restriction. It was supposed to be a restriction that the citizens have accepted and implemented themselves. On this day it was not illegal to move out of the house however the government had requested the citizens to stay inside and not to venture outside. It was not a mandate but rather it was considered to be an optional lockdown that was decided by the citizens themselves. Plus the Prime Minister had announced that we should appreciate the health care professionals, the health care workers, and community workers by clapping. It was an act of togetherness as well as gratitude.

There was much anticipation for this day. It was a Sunday hence the offices were not operating. It was a school holiday as well. Every person was worried about the future at the same time was looking forward to what is going to happen on 22nd March 2020. A lot of people wear also in anticipation that this day could mark the beginning of the COVID 19 lockdowns.

I woke up early in the morning. I had been sitting by the window from where I was able to see the nearby street. The street that is generally very crowded and populated was completely empty that day. There were no vehicles, no people, or hawkers. All shops were closed. The haunting silence was eerie. The only noises that were heard included the chirping of the birds and barking of the dogs. No man made sounds were being heard.

As the day progressed there had been multiple news outlets reporting how the Janta curfew was being observed across various states and cities. Overall it looked like the people had voluntarily and willingly accepted the concept of Janta curfew. They had decided not to go galvanting on this day. At the same time announcements were made by various state governments that how they had decided to act in their respective states to limit the spread of infection. Maharashtra was one of the first states which had announced that the mandatory lockdown was going to begin from the same day itself. This resulted in panic across the corporates. Organisations had not yet finalized their business continuity plans and they had not made the required arrangement for remote working for their employees. My organisation being one of them which still had not figured out how to operate during the pandemic. I was called by my manager to tell me that the next day I would need to visit the office and help with the preparation of remote working. I had no alternative but to comply with it.

As the day was progressing we saw that the government had deployed forces which were fumigating each and every area. We saw that the vehicles which work going to perform fumigation enter our society complex and they had started spraying the virucidal agent on the building as well as on each and every floor. This is when I realised that the situation was getting serious. At the same time it was a realisation that the time ahead was going to be difficult.