With the inevitability of the third phase of Covid pandemic fast approaching, unlocking the vulnerable spheres of life on the fast phase should be cautiously pushed. The second wave of Covid-19 is being on a phase-out mode in Jammu Kashmir like in the rest of the country, but the Covid virus in its mutated shape is still lurking around with experts repeatedly warning that the third wave may strike later this year.
Unfortunately, people here have already started throwing caution to the winds — as if they had not seen the heart-wrenching dying spree by the devastating pandemic that has claimed over 4 lakh lives across the country and nearly 4400 died in J&K so far. The Health experts have taken a serious note of gross violations of Covid-appropriate behaviour in hill stations such as Kud, Patnitop, Sannasar, Srinagar, Bhaderwah etc within J&K and the markets of Jammu, Srinagar, Udhampur and other towns. These locations witnessed over-crowding of public places have heightened the risk of infection, prompting the medicos and health ministry to warn that the relaxation of lockdown restrictions will be withdrawn if such recklessness persists.
It is shocking how quickly we have forgotten the havoc wreaked by the second wave just a couple of months ago. The country had gone into self-congratulatory complacency in Dec-January when the first wave had seemed phased out and the nationwide vaccination drive was rolled out with fanfare. Things took a turn for the worse in April as election rallies in West Bengal and other states drew large crowds and religious and prayer events witnessed the participation of thousands of pilgrims and in prayer gatherings. With the vaccination rate continuing to be sluggish, a repeat of such irresponsible conduct can hasten the onset of the next wave.
The temporary closure of some ‘extremely crowded’ markets in Delhi is a right step by the authorities, even as shopkeepers and traders have sought the setting up of a Joint Action Committee comprising representatives of the police, the Municipal Corporation and the market association to tackle crowding in markets. Such close coordination between various stakeholders is a must to regulate the footfall in such places. With five states — UP, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur — going to the polls early next year, electioneering is set to pick up pace in the coming months. Sticking to the basics — wearing masks and maintaining social distance — must become a way of life, failing which we might have to face another catastrophe sooner or later which is being anticipated in 3rd wave of the pandemic.
