Serendipity : Musings of an Islander

Islanders caught as collateral in the lockdown By Debkumar Bhadra With less than a week remaining into the 21 day lockdown, everyone seems to wonder if the lockdown will be lifted or extended! Well for a diverse country of 1.3 billion, there cannot be a one-size-fits-all answer, specifically when the choice is between life and livelihood. On one hand there is a perceived risk of undoing the commendable job of containing the deadly novel corona virus, on the other it is the country’s economy that is at stake . While many states are already arguing for extending the lockdown, an update shared by the Chief Secretary to the UT Administration of Andaman and Nicobar has brought some respite. “All ten earlier positive cases are now negative after treatment. They will be shifted from hospital to institutional quarantine for 2 weeks” read the late night tweet by @ChetanSanghi. The islands which so far accounted for 11 corona positive cases, after ten of them declared neg...

Not to worry! Ponder? Yes By Debkumar Bhadra It is apparent most of us would lend support to the PM’s call for a 9 minute sojourn with earthen lamps, candles and their likes at 9 pm on Sunday .   This has come at a time when we are most concerned about personal hygiene. It is obvious for one to reach out for hand sanitizers because they are convenient. But one must remember that alcohol  -based hand sanitizers are classified as Class I Flammable Liquid substances, which means they have a flash point of less than 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Thus before striking the match stick or approaching an open fire, it is necessary  to exercise caution with sanitizers as we do with any other flammable substances. Another thing to keep in mind is that washing hands with soap (cake, bar or liquid) and water is recommended. For non-clinical domestic situations, use sanitizers when running water and soap is not available. Since it is human tendency to go for what...