Social help along with social distancing need of the hour

Islamabad : Ramazan is a month in which most people reach out to the poor and needy with a big heart. There are many families, communities, and organisations who buy Ramazan packages from stores or arrange for ration for the needy and then distribute among them. One of the activities which is quite prevalent in our society is to arrange for ‘iftar’ in mosques as well as on footpaths for the needy and labour class which goes on throughout the month of Holy Ramazan.

Young volunteers are also seen preparing for ‘iftars’ for the deserving people. This is the second Ramazan that has come amid pandemic and during such critical times of COVID-19, one needs to be extra careful in doing the social work. One has to show social responsibility before social welfare and that too by strictly following the SOPs. We all know that listening to the death toll because of the corona has stressed us down but helping others can boost our faith in humanity. There are many families who have lost their jobs in the pandemic because of downsizing, so helping them can be highly exhilarating in this stressful environment.

Mishal Zafar, a housewife while talking to ‘The News’ said we have been very social in past years engaging in outdoor ‘sehris’ and ‘iftaris’, inviting guests over or dining out but this Ramazan, like last year, we have focussed on helping the needy and underprivileged people. There are many organisations that call needy people and after registration, they are handed over ration.

They are supposed to come in line and sometimes they don't follow the guidelines given by the organisation. Such mass gatherings can be very dangerous in these times where the COVID-19 positivity rate is increasing day-by-day.

Fatima Khan, running an NGO for helping the needy, said that now we need to look after our well-being first. We can't help anyone if we fell sick or catch the virus. We should understand we all are vulnerable to this virus if we don't wear the mask. Earlier we used to call everyone thus had a big gathering but now we have worked out a plan not to call more people at a time and managing the whole process with SOPs.

Shehzil Samar, a student said that families follow strict SOPs in malls and stores but as soon as they step out into local markets they pull their masks down on the chin. The positivity rate is increasing due to our negligence only. There are many families who are donating masks boxes to needy families so that they follow the procedures before they are vaccinated. In these trying times, we have to see that our act of kindness could jeopardise the lives of many if strict procedures of social distancing are not followed.