​The Social Status of Safety

Staying in a rented room and waiting for my university to reopen, I reflect on all that has changed this year and how long the change will last, as I get constant updates about the condition of the world and our country in particular through the various social media platforms and e-editions of newspapers. There has been a sharp increase in psychiatric counselling facilities in response to the surge in mental health issues. On the other hand, there is a section of the population that, just surviving somehow, does not even have the time or luxury to register their distress, because for them it is a struggle of life and death. COVID-19 has exposed the inequalities deeply embedded in our society. The jokes made about the lockdown across various social media platforms like Facebook and TikTok seem to make fun of those struggling hard to survive.

I see delivery persons risking their lives to deliver essentials and luxuries to those who can afford an inter­net connection, know how to use it and have the money to purchase goods and services on these apps. However, what I am most struck by in this reflection is the way a number of e-commerce companies are altering their production and sales to include masks, sanitisers and disinfectant sprays.