The nation must continue to be serious about COVID and not let its guard down
The time to think is over. It is time to act sensibly and avoid the third wave of the Coronavirus pandemic. It is time to wear masks, fully covering the mouth and nose. The festive season began on Thursday with the first day of Navratras. It will last till the new year. The three-month period has several events that can turn super-spreaders. Social, cultural and religious groups are ready with their demands for permission to celebrate certain festivals. Political parties are advising restraint, but vote bank policies can sway them any time. The Governments at the Centre and in the States have so far shown a strong resolve to break the infection cycle this time. They are also running against time in trying to fully vaccinate the eligible population in the country. A relief of sorts is the revelation by a survey that more people are losing their inhibitions about vaccination. Social media platform LocalCircles says vaccine hesitancy is at its lowest at seven per cent. The survey responses show that the vaccine-hesitant do not plan to take the jab till they are convinced that the currently available vaccines provide enough protection from the current and future variants of COVID-19. There is no logic to remain hesitant, but the least that such people can do is strictly follow the safety precautions. There is clear evidence that vaccination will not prevent infection but can certainly reduce its intensity and the unvaccinated only have the precautions as a fallback.
The Centre asserts it can tackle the third wave if it becomes unavoidable. It apparently has an adequate medical infrastructure in terms of beds, separate hospitals, oxygen, drugs and doctors to tackle a daily surge of 4.5-5 lakh fresh cases. It is a worst-case scenario no doubt, but people must realise that the country is officially still not rid of the second wave of the pandemic. At the national level, there is a consistent pattern of daily decline in cases. However, the virus is proving difficult to control in some pockets of the country. The COVID-19 positivity percentage is over 10 in 34 districts of the country. Thirteen of these districts are in Kerala and 18 in the Northeast. The rest of the country is opening up fast now. Schools have reopened, economic activity is back to normal, domestic travel has re-commenced. Many States have unlocked places of worship though some, like Tamil Nadu, are keeping them closed during weekends to avoid crowding. Unlike India, several countries are still experiencing a bad pandemic situation, but the Government plans to open up the country for foreign tourists from October 15. It must have its logic for doing so. The Government may want to have a rethink considering that people still do not follow elementary rules like wearing masks. The last day of the ‘Mahalaya’ ceremony on Wednesday, for instance, saw thousands assembling on river banks, completely careless about the safety of self and others.