(Video) Rajya Sabha TV (RSTV) The Big Picture: COVID-19 & Social Distancing

Topic: COVID-19 & Social Distancing

Guest:

Rajib Dasgupta, (Professor, Centre of Social Medicine and Community Health Social Sciences, JNU)
Dr. Jagdish Sadiza, (Senior Clinical Psychologist, Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences (IHBAS),
Kavita Narayan, (Technical Advisor, HRH for Health Systems, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, GoI)
Dr. Meera Dhuria, (Deputy Director, NCDC)

Topic Description:

With cases of the novel coronavirus in India increasing by the day, the Centre and state governments are doubling down on measures to curb the spread of the flu-like disease. Worldwide, the disease has claimed over 6500 lives and has infected at least one lakh people. With the World Health Organisation characterising the spread of the COVID-19 as a'pandemic', one of the measures being recommended by health and governance authorities across the world is 'social distancing', which is to "reduce the frequency of large gatherings" and limiting the scope of in-person interactions. Social distancing is a method prescribed to check the spread of the COVID-19 so that the healthcare system is equipped to treat existing patients. Around the world, including in several Indian cities, governments have recommended that companies should allow employees to work from home, and schools and universities have been shut for a period of a few weeks.