A few days ago Amitabh Bachchan, one of the most popular actors in India, announced on Twitter that he had contracted coronavirus. Soon came the news that his son, Abhishek Bachchan, daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai, and granddaughter, Aaradhya tested positive for COVID-19. The residences of the family in Juhu were sealed and declared containment zones.
Amitabh and Abhishek were admitted to Nanavati Hospital in Vile Parle, Mumbai, and are expected to be discharged sometime next week. After the discharge, they are expected to be under home quarantine for the next two weeks.
Aishwarya and Aaradhya, who were asymptomatic from the beginning, were home quarantined. But, on July 17, as a precautionary measure, they too were admitted to Nanavati Hospital. All of them are responding well to treatment.
The Bachchans, like the Khans, the Kumars and the Kapoors of Bollywood, are quite popular in India. There are chances that the Bachchans contracting the disease and recovering without any complications might eliminate the stigma surrounding the disease to a certain extent. Sources in Bollywood said the family might hold a joint press meet, sometime in August, once all of them fully recover to thank everyone for the support they showed. And, more importantly, to help people come out of the stigma associated with COVID-19.
Film writer Apurva Asrani was one of the first persons to tweet on it. “It is great that Amitabh and Abhishek have shared the news about being Covid-19 positive. This, and their recovery, should de-stigmatise an inevitable but mostly-easy-to-beat virus.” said Asrani. Actor Soni Razdan Bhatt, who is the mother of actor Alia Bhatt, responded to Asrani's post, “It’s really important that we remove this stigma in our heads about getting [infected with] Covid-19."
She had earlier hit out against the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal for his claim that the situation in the financial capital is in complete control. This, after Soni's friend's mother struggled to get a bed in hospitals for her COVID-19 treatment. Soni tweeted: “All this after pulling massive strings. For the hospitals as well as the drugs. How can you claim we are in control? Don’t you know what citizens are going through? @mybmc @uddhavthackeray @CMOMaharashtra."
Interestingly, two months ago, Amitabh Bachchan featured in the Central government's 'break the stigma' campaign. In a minute-long video, he spoke about how COVID-19 impacts a person both physically and mentally, especially when survivors are ostracised for no fault of theirs.
“You must have seen that the patients recovering from the virus are being lauded by doctors, and you must have watched on TV that the people who recovered from the virus are being hailed by their relatives and society,” said Big B, adding, "Currently, scientists are trying to fight the virus physically, but we need to stand together in the mental fight against COVID-19."
The pandemic has sparked off social stigma and discriminatory behaviours among people across the country, which, in many cases, may be beyond reasonable. This outlook is likely to lead to a dangerous situation where people who get affected with COVID-19 may hide the details for the fear of being ostracised.
Recently, in Hyderabad, after the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) announced home isolation treatment for asymptomatic COVID-19 patients in coordination with doctors and health officials, hundreds of people eluded authorities to avoid stigma.
"Yes, stigma and fear related to COVID-19 is a problem, not only in Hyderabad, but also in the rest of the country," said Eatala Rajender, health minister of Telangana, to THE WEEK. "But things are improving, even as cases are rising. Many, of late, have started realising that COVID-19 is here to stay and, that, in most cases, there is a good chance of recovery. The stigma of such nature is most commonly seen in apartments. But I can definitely see a change in Hyderabad. People have started empathising with COVID-19 patients, and are accepting them as one among them after the recovery. Stigma attached with the disease will only change gradually."
Bollywood filmmaker Anand Kumar said stigmatising the disease will harm us a lot. "The recovery of someone as influential and important as Mr Bachchan will surely help in reducing fear and making people empathetic towards each other. This is a time when we need to preserve humanity and help each other, and not look down upon those who are affected with COVID-19," said Kumar.
Dr Aparna Gopikrishnan, a Kochi-based psychiatrist, said the stigma associated with COVID-19 is greater than they had imagined. "When it comes to the crisis we face today, the mental stress is more than the physical one, especially the anxiousness about one's family and loved ones. This includes not just the fear of whether they will contract the disease, but also the hardships they will face when staying back at home, despised and isolated," said Dr Aparna.
She said it is good that the Bachchans are tweeting regularly about their health condition. "People will be motivated by seeing such videos. It will also help them practice social distancing and avoid going out frequently. Celebs or popular names, who are affected by COVID-19, should come out with such videos that will cheer up their fans and people in general. It sends out a very strong message," said Dr Aparna.
Bengaluru-based ophthalmologist and classical dancer Dr Mridula V. Amarnath said the quick recovery of the Bachchans will definitely have a positive impact on the general public. "The fear that is instilled in them will be curbed to a great extent. But, just in case, god forbid, they don't recover fast, it would create more panic, as we know that some of the best doctors and facilities are being used to treat them. Such a scenario, if at all, will be a cause for concern for the general population affected by COVID-19, who, in most cases, struggle to get even a bed," said Dr Mridula.
