Excursions

As much as we appreciate how effectively South Korea managed to contain the spread of the pandemic, the fact can’t be ignored that it involved steps that many democracies all around are just not comfortable signing up for and going through.

To expedite testing, it gave laboratories the green light to use unapproved diagnostic kits during a public-health emergency. To expand contact tracing, it gave health authorities warrantless access to CCTV footage and the geolocation data from the new patients’ phones. To increase transparency, the new laws required local governments to send prompt alerts, such as emergency texts, to disclose the recent whereabouts of new patients.

“People trust the government in part because it works to keep raw politics out of public health. And the government trusts the public to act as a responsible co-partner in public health.” Each democracy should aim to achieve this “delicate balance of trust” with their public.

Even I hope work from home culture stays. But I also hope this does not. It isn’t healthy. I still log off at the same time I usually would.

The days of logging off at the end of the workday and focusing on other things until morning, already dwindling, might be gone for good.

There’s still so much that we still do not know about the virus and the pandemic that followed.

If the timeline of when the virus appeared in Europe does change, the official efforts to combat the contagion will turn out to have been not just too late, but hopelessly too late.

I watched (finally) The Rise of Skywalker yesterday. I am surprised I managed to stay spoiler-free till now. I have so many thoughts, but a quick review - am disappointed. Not satisfied. I will be frank, I liked both Force Awakens and The Last Jedi. This was a big let down.

The guidelines that we follow during these days - to stay clean, healthy - is affecting me in many ways. I cringe and shudder when I look at a crowded or dusty place even in movies now. Same when I see someone cough or sneeze on screen. Or touch something in public.

I am tired of listening to the same old rants about surveillance. I get it - the apps being used for contact tracing can potentially be used to hamper our privacy. However, such apps have proven effective in controlling the spread in many regions and nations. If you live in a democracy, you will always have a chance to curb the harm caused. If you point at the apps and shout “privacy killer”, you are no better than the population that is protesting armed, asking for their freedom back.

Understand that these aren’t normal times. The normal rants won’t help in these times. Empathize with the decision-makers, especially in a democracy. This is new, an unknown territory for all of us.

I don’t like Micro.blog’s app on iPad. The sidebar need not be sticky. It sticks out ever so more in the portrait mode. @manton.

I received a call from my daughter’s school today, enquiring if all was well with her online schooling. I was left completely clueless on how to respond to that.

My daughter’s school has enabled schooling of 5 subjects via an app. Each week, the app presents a new set of chapters, worksheets, quizzes across all 5 subjects. Besides, each week there are video conference sessions with teachers to recap what was learned in the last week.

Sorry to report, but just two weeks in, this process already seems overwhelming. It is especially so given both me and my wife are working from home.

I knew we weren’t alone. AP published a brilliant article on how parents in the US are already getting burned through this distance learning — something that is especially tricky with young kids. And they are forced to make a very difficult choice.

Amid the barrage of learning apps, video meet-ups and e-mailed assignments that pass as pandemic home school, some frustrated and exhausted parents are choosing to disconnect entirely for the rest of the academic year. Others are cramming all their children’s school work into the weekend or taking days off work to help their kids with a week’s worth of assignments in one day.

It is just not easy. Parents aren’t trained to be good teachers. The technology was never given a chance to prove it can work independently for teaching. It was always an additive. Plus nothing, nothing can replace the in-person learning from the people who are trained throughout their lives to do that. The comment below from one of the parents is very, very apt.

This is a very crude bandage we’re putting on a very big wound. We’re just doing the best we can. A video can’t look at your child’s face and see the confusion. A teacher can do that.

It is only April and I already hate 2020. In times like today when the world is already engulfed with a sense of hopelessness, the news like these won’t help for sure. May God have mercy on us all and bless us with the strength to ride through these challenging times.

First Irrfan Khan. And now this - Rishi Kapoor hospitalised passes away, not doing well. I pray for his good health, hope he gets well soon. He too had recovered recently from cancer. 2020 isn’t done with us, I guess, yet. We are only into April. Updated