The people are expected to be responsible and realise that being masked and distanced is the new reality

Between the Devil and the deep, blue sea. That is precisely where the country’s Covid-19 unlock guidelines find themselves in. A continuing lockdown begins to impact the economy. The unlock without safety protocols is a free invite to the virus. It is not an exaggeration to say that officials announce the lifting of the lockdown with some trepidation and fear lurking at the back of their minds of what would happen once the cities and towns are opened up but the safety protocols are ignored. Their fears are not unfounded given the experience of the previous unlock. Delhi, for instance, unlocked to crowd surges the Capital has not seen in months. The markets are crowded so thick that maintaining social distancing is an unreal proposition. People are jostled and shoved and pushed as excitement returns to the market place. It is more of a relief for people to just get out of their homes even though the latest lockdown was not as severe as the one in 2020. However, the relief is not tempered by responsibility. The social media is full of instances of people found without masks. The shopkeepers do have protocols in mind as they try to regulate the number of people in the shop at a time but the shoppers are hardly patient enough to either stand in a queue or use hand sanitisers. Those who do follow the protocols sincerely appear to be in a minority. Are the people inviting another round of disaster by their irrational behaviour? Have not the lessons from the previous waves of the coronavirus been learnt at all? Apparently not. Take the news report of an Uttarakhand MLA in Dehradun.  A policeman found him and his family strolling on the street defying curfew and wearing their masks improperly. He promptly issued a challan. The next day he was transferred to a rural area.

In spite of media reports of people ignoring safety protocols, State Governments are yet to get into a mass messaging mode on safety. The Maharashtra Covid-19 Task Force took the lead in warning the State to prepare itself for a “third wave” if the people continue to ignore the protocols. The new wave could be worse with a highly-virulent strain of the virus, Delta Plus, waiting to strike this time, it said. The task force expects the wave to leave eight lakh active cases in its wake, of which 10 per cent could be children. That is alarming, but not alarmist given the general indifference to safety. The second lockdown was as planned and scientific as the unlock has been. It was neither imposed not withdrawn all of a sudden to ensure as little discomfort to the people as possible. In return, the people are expected to be responsible too and realise that being masked and distanced is the new reality and there is no getting away from it to remain safe and, importantly, keep others safe

( Courtesy Pioneer )

The people are expected to be responsible and realise that being masked and distanced is the new reality

Between the Devil and the deep, blue sea. That is precisely where the country’s Covid-19 unlock guidelines find themselves in. A continuing lockdown begins to impact the economy. The unlock without safety protocols is a free invite to the virus. It is not an exaggeration to say that officials announce the lifting of the lockdown with some trepidation and fear lurking at the back of their minds of what would happen once the cities and towns are opened up but the safety protocols are ignored. Their fears are not unfounded given the experience of the previous unlock. Delhi, for instance, unlocked to crowd surges the Capital has not seen in months. The markets are crowded so thick that maintaining social distancing is an unreal proposition. People are jostled and shoved and pushed as excitement returns to the market place. It is more of a relief for people to just get out of their homes even though the latest lockdown was not as severe as the one in 2020. However, the relief is not tempered by responsibility. The social media is full of instances of people found without masks. The shopkeepers do have protocols in mind as they try to regulate the number of people in the shop at a time but the shoppers are hardly patient enough to either stand in a queue or use hand sanitisers. Those who do follow the protocols sincerely appear to be in a minority. Are the people inviting another round of disaster by their irrational behaviour? Have not the lessons from the previous waves of the coronavirus been learnt at all? Apparently not. Take the news report of an Uttarakhand MLA in Dehradun.  A policeman found him and his family strolling on the street defying curfew and wearing their masks improperly. He promptly issued a challan. The next day he was transferred to a rural area.

In spite of media reports of people ignoring safety protocols, State Governments are yet to get into a mass messaging mode on safety. The Maharashtra Covid-19 Task Force took the lead in warning the State to prepare itself for a “third wave” if the people continue to ignore the protocols. The new wave could be worse with a highly-virulent strain of the virus, Delta Plus, waiting to strike this time, it said. The task force expects the wave to leave eight lakh active cases in its wake, of which 10 per cent could be children. That is alarming, but not alarmist given the general indifference to safety. The second lockdown was as planned and scientific as the unlock has been. It was neither imposed not withdrawn all of a sudden to ensure as little discomfort to the people as possible. In return, the people are expected to be responsible too and realise that being masked and distanced is the new reality and there is no getting away from it to remain safe and, importantly, keep others safe

( Courtesy Pioneer )