An eerie calm has descended on Dargah Hazratbal following a lockdown prompted by the coronavirus pandemic.
It’s is disheartening to know that first case of COVID19 was diagnosed in SKIMS hospital last week. We wish a speedy recovery to the patient. The case however doesn’t mark an end, neither of the disease nor of the continuous hard-work and dedication that each of us has to put in to fight this potential epidemic.
Every emergency needs a set of polices that need to be followed to keep it in check. As such we have been fortunate that our fellow colleagues, internationally as well as locally in Kashmir have been advising people over what to do and what not to do so as to prevent the transmission of disease.
From all the advices, if one pays attention, it is clear that it is not the doctors that are the frontline but the people themselves, who can save their families as well as the society by following adjuncts of social distancing and quarantine.
However, from the recent trends observed in Kashmir valley it becomes apparent that there are certain people who do not understand the gravity of the issue. It is needless to mention that an uncontrollable COVID19 catastrophe started in Italy with just one case diagnosed one and a half month back, as such, the Italian example must act a deterrent to all those people acting against those fighting the spread. Italian health care was the second best in the whole world and unfortunately it sees hundreds of people dying everyday ,we do not want a similar situation for our people and our Motherland Kashmir, hence we strongly advice everyone that the only measure that will help you save the motherland from Italy like condition is ‘Social distancing’.
Avoid going to large gatherings, do not organise mawluds, marriages, large scale funerals in mosques and homes.
Do not go to masjids for jamaat. All the prayers, both obligatory and voluntary must be offered at home. The Fatwa from Al-Ifta Saudi Arabia and Al-Azhar Cairo and many other local religious bodies clearly advice people to follow advisories by health officials so as to prevent the spread of disease in society.
The panel of doctors at KVDO want’s to impress upon all the religious authorities to take inspiration from these world famous bodies and help us fight the spread of disease. We impress upon them to go back to the Hadith of our beloved Prophet (Pbuh) where he said, “The life of Muslim is holier than Ka’aba’. We impress upon them to use intellect, if the disease spreads and people continue thronging mosques it will be a disaster which they will directly be responsible for.
We do not want a section of us be responsible for the death of others. If such ijtima’s lead to widespread transmission will we be able to prevent it then? Will we have an option to regret and go back?? No, we wont!!
Do not give our enemies a chance to mock us and our religion because of some of our miscalculated decisions. Islam is the most scientific religion and it has explicitly been deduced from the traditions that critical situations like this demand extraordinary measures.
There must be strict action on community level as well as legal level against those who are calling people to these gatherings and hence to a potential mass disaster. So, we request them to reconsider and re-contemplate their option.
We request all the people of Kashmir to strictly follow the protocols and methods of social distancing and quarantine as advised by doctors and medical advisories.
The disease as of yet has no treatment, but people can break the chain by staying home.
May Lord have mercy on us
Kashmir Voluntary Doctors Organisation
Srinagar
Follow this link to join our WhatsApp group: Join Now
Be Part of Quality Journalism |
Quality journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce and despite all the hardships we still do it. Our reporters and editors are working overtime in Kashmir and beyond to cover what you care about, break big stories, and expose injustices that can change lives. Today more people are reading Kashmir Observer than ever, but only a handful are paying while advertising revenues are falling fast. |
| ACT NOW |
| MONTHLY | Rs 100 | |
| YEARLY | Rs 1000 | |
| LIFETIME | Rs 10000 | |