KOLKATA: Public health experts, doctors, mental health specialists, virologists and citizens from across the spectrum have appealed to experts strategising on restrictions to control spread of Covid-19 in Kolkata and other metros to refrain from shutting down open green spaces whenever cases rise.
At present, parks and lakes in the city are shut. In the past two years, these public places have remained closed for 14 months. For the few months they had been opened, timings have been extremely restrictive and children have not been allowed entry.
Public health expert Charulata Banerjee, who specialises on mother and child nutrition, feels access to parks is vital for not just children and senior citizens who have been confined to homes for nearly two years but also for staying fit and building immunity to fight the virus. “It is imperative that parks reopen at the earliest so that people who do have to go out to work can get their quota of exercise,” she said.
Psychiatrist Jai Ranjan Ram, too, called for the immediate opening of parks and squares, pointing out that they have a profound impact on the mental well-being of people, especially at a difficult time like pandemic when the normal way of life has been disrupted. “Just being in the lap of nature and seeing other people enjoy themselves can have such a positive effect,” he explained.
Even virologists are perplexed by the decision to shut parks. “Transmission of a virus is many times more in an enclosed air-conditioned space than in the open. Closure of parks and lakes defy logic. These are safer places than markets, malls, theatres, restaurants and pubs,” said Sreedhar Chinnaswamy, who researchers on genetics of infectious diseases.
Mental health activist Ratnaboli Ray feels people should reclaim public spaces. “One is safe to drink at an AC bar, travel in a crowded bus, shop in a congested market. But it is risky to walk or play in a park or lake. Again, a park becomes safe when a fair is organised,” she wondered.
If the Maidan is the city's lungs and East Kolkata Wetlands its kidneys, the 600-plus parks are the pores: the mechanism for temperature control, says green activist Bonani Kakkar. “When parks are shut, it affects the physical and mental health. of a personAny city would be blessed to have so many parks,” she said.
Corporate executive Shankho Chowdhury says it is not enough to just open the parks and lakes for a few hours in the mornings and evenings but keep them open for extended hours so that people can go in their own free time. “Let’s not do what happens in markets when restricted hours leads to crowding. Please unshackle the open spaces in the city,” he pleaded.
