A Nationwide Lockdown – a Long Holiday Nobody Asked For

I still vividly remember the exact day – 15 Mar 2020. It was 4 PM on a Sunday afternoon and I was  engrossed in every bit of Michelle Obama’s journey described in her book – Becoming. In the adjacent living room, the news channel was blaring with information on the rising COVID cases world-wide, and how we should prepare for an impending global lockdown. Yes, I heard that right – a LOCKDOWN. Honestly, this was a new word in my vocabulary base. I mean, I could obviously make out what it might mean, but it was the first time I was hearing this word in such a large scale. I had never used this word before, never heard anyone saying it before or hardly remember reading about this word before.

The Delusion

Anyway, I was too busy with my reading to ponder for long over this new-found word. Why would I bother? After all, these pandemics and subsequent lockdowns were about to impact rest of the world, EXCEPT India. And the three primary reasons for that would be –

1. We have a top-class inbuilt immunity, courtesy our upbringing amidst pollution and pathogen-laden street food.
2. We don’t eat insects and random animals, unlike the rest of the world. So, there’s no possibility of random pathogens entering our blood stream via those animals.
3. It was March already and we were heading towards the great Indian summers. The scorching heat would burn and dissolve any pathogen of the world.

Yes, these are the exact hilarious reasons I had been consistently listening around me, ever since we got the news of the corona virus.

The Reality Check

Then, sharp at 4:30 PM, my phone beeped with a message. It was a notification from Infosys HR Communications.

It read as –

“Dear Infoscion,

In view of COVID-19 precautionary measure, we encourage you to opt to Work from Home after consulting with your Manager. In case you have to come to work, please take all necessary precautions and we are working on support wherever possible.

Regards,

Phoenix Team.”

This got me hooked!

Generally, at an organisation level, we are allowed upto 9 days of WFH (work from home) with a manager’s approval on a monthly basis. But somehow, it gets very difficult to get the approvals because it was a strong belief back then that WFH hampers productivity and efficiency. So, getting an official notification to opt for a WFH was too good to be true. I parked Madam Obama on the side for a while and hopped onto the living room to check out the latest news. By now, few celebrities had tested COVID positive. The journalists were in a frenzy, reporting on COVID cases post Holi bashes and how careless people seemed to be about staying indoors. They kept insisting on how there is one and only solution to control the virus spread in the country – LOCKDOWN.

An Impending Lockdown

So, what was the exact meaning of the word – LOCKDOWN? I googled for its dictionary meaning. It gave two meanings –

1) Lockdown means the confining of prisoners to their cells, typically in order to regain control during a riot.

2) Lockdown is a state of isolation or restricted access instituted as a security measure.

My mind started racing with thoughts. Shit just seemed to have got real. So how is the government going to handle this? Will everything actually be shutdown in a way? How would life look like then? My husband was living in the USA then. What would be the international travel scenes, in case of a lockdown? With the gazillion questions swishing inside my head, I sat with a calm demeanour and just sent a random message on WhatsApp to my husband who must be sound asleep in the US timezone then. I chatted for a while with mom and dad about what precautions we must take as a family and prepared a house-rule of sorts. Then, we had a quick dinner and I snuggled into bed with Madam Obama lying next to my pillow. I remember lying down, staring at nothing and waiting for my husband to wake up and respond to my message.

At about 10:00 PM, my phone beeped with a message. It was another notification from Infosys HR Communications.

It read as –

“Dear Infoscion,

As a precautionary measure in view of COVID-19, please opt to Work from Home in consultation  with your Manager. If you are performing a role where WFH is not an option, speak with your Manager on next steps. Please check the email from Infosys Communications for details. Regards,

Phoenix Team.”

Now, the words of the message had changed. I could sense a tone of urgency in the second SMS. I quickly logged in to my office laptop and checked my emails. A detailed mail was sent by the HR. The summary was – STAY AT HOME. This virus scare was getting as real as it could get. I got a quick confirmation from my manager, whose advice was to not come to office the next day and continue working from home until further notice.

March 23, 2020 – The First Lockdown Imposed in India

For the next few days, even though the surging cases of COVID positives felt jittery, WFH still felt like fun. We had even planned video conference meetings at work, because we had not seen each other for a week or so. The irony of the situation feels really funny now. I was in Odisha then, and the state government had already started imposing very strict time restrictions and night curfews were the new normal. I can never forget that feeling of living in a silent village which went off to sleep by 8 PM, right in the middle of a bustling old city like Cuttack. Not a single person was seen on the streets after 6 PM and PCR vans were patrolling every hour. What kind of world were we heading into? I often wondered.

Then, on the Sunday evening of 22 March 2020, the Prime Minister of the country spoke. A nationwide lockdown had been imposed from the next day. Nobody was allowed to venture outside their houses from next day onwards. There were assurances that essential supplies will be delivered or maybe we can walk down to the grocery/ medicine store right outside our lane. But that’s it. You cannot mindlessly ride 4 km to get fish from your favourite fisherman. It might sound hilarious, but that is how India functions. We can prefer death, but cannot compromise on food.

With so much negativity around the world and the mind, I decided to sit in the balcony for a while. I could clearly see the local grocery store straight from my room’s balcony. Despite repeated reminders to not start hoarding supplies at home, I saw a long queue in front of that store. People had rushed from their homes, as soon as the lockdown announcement was made.

At 8:30 PM, my phone beeped with a message. It was another notification from Infosys HR Communications.

It read as –

“Dear Infoscion,

In accordance to the lockdown imposed in Bhubaneswar from 22 to 29 March, employees will have restricted access to both the DCs based on the resource list approved by the Delivery Anchors. In case you need to come to office, please discuss with your Delivery Manager first to avoid issues. Others are requested to avail WFH.

Regards,

Phoenix Team.”

By then, my organisation had created an official email ID to address queries specific to the pandemic and the lockdown. This was OFFICIAL. After that the timelines kept extending and a lockdown seemed like the new way of living.

Now, that we are in 2021, we still don’t know if the phase of lockdown is over or will be back in our lives. Maybe, it is here to stay for a while.