Page 120 - The Indian Optician Digital Edition March-April 2021
P. 120
EXTRA MEASURES FOR THE
VISUALLY IMPAIRED
DURING THE PANDEMIC
he acute respiratory syndrome, the COVID-19, has disrupted
the society at an unprecedented scale since the outbreak
Tin December 2019. In March 2020, the World Health
Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 to be a pandemic due to
YOGITA L RAJGANDHI the speed and scale of transmission.
Optometrist, Managing
Director- RECI As the healthcare system is finally reorganising to mitigate
President- VOSH International the impact of the pandemic, WHO and public health authorities
(USA) India- Maharashtra around the world are taking action to contain the outbreak
Chapter Faculty- COOS as the public health has been endangered both nationally
Ex-Head of Low Vision and internationally. The Government of India has declared the
Department: NAB Workshop
for the Blind (Mumbai) situation arising out of COVID-19 as a ‘national disaster’ and
Ex-West Regional necessary guidelines have been issued under the National
Representative (IOA) Disaster Management Act, 2005.
A certain population, such as those with disability, may be
affected more significantly but simple actions and protective
measures by the key stakeholders can make quite a difference.
PEOPLE WITH DISABILITY MAY BE AT GREATER RISK
OF CONTRACTING COVID-19 BECAUSE OF:
Barriers to accessing health care and public health information;
The need to touch things to obtain information from the
environment or for physical support;
Barriers to implementing basic hygiene measures, such as
hand-washing (e.g. hand basins or sinks may be physically
inaccessible, or a person may have physical difficulty rubbing
their hands together thoroughly);
Difficulty in enacting social distancing because of additional
support needs or because they are institutionalised;
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