A Premature Step

Notwithstanding vast improvement in the pandemic situation, it is still premature to completely lift restrictions imposed to prevent the spread of the highly infectious disease, considering the warning of virologists that new variants of the Covid-19 virus may surface at any time. As a matter of fact, the virus is very active in countries like China and South Korea along with a number of European countries. These countries are witnessing a new surge in Covid cases due to the emergence of the XE variant of the virus. Like previous variants such as Delta and Omicron, the new variant may reach India sooner than later. The probability of Indians getting infected by XE variant have further increased with the easing of curbs on foreign travel. It should be remembered that the first wave struck India as the country delayed imposition of necessary restrictions, including lockdown. The second wave occurred as the people did not follow Covid norms strictly, believing that the virus had waned its severity. The third wave could not cause much damage as by then the majority of Indians were vaccinated which aided the country in warding off the threat from the variant.

But the nature of the XE variant is yet unknown. The new variant may or may not be tamed by vaccines. Thus, before lifting restrictions completely, we must thoroughly examine our preparedness to combat pandemic situations. Do we have enough beds in the hospitals with 24X7 Oxygen facilities to treat infected people? Do we have enough medicines in stock to tackle such a medical emergency? Do we have enough medical practitioners to take care of the patients suffering from this lethal virus? If all the answers are yes, restrictions can be lifted; otherwise the curbs may be eased to some extent, but should not be lifted completely. Quite strangely Maharashtra, the worst affected state in the pandemic, lifted all restrictions as soon as the active caseload dipped. The state would have done better to lift the curbs after watching the situation for some more time. As the economic capital of the country, the state is always prone to such infections because of frequent visits by overseas visitors. Same can be said about Bengaluru, another economic hub of India, Shimla, the most favoured tourist destination and others like West Bengal, Delhi, etc.

As all these states have lifted restrictions completely, people have started thronging in large numbers to market places, shopping malls and elsewhere, showing total disregard for Covid-safety norms. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has already warned that such irresponsible behaviour may bring back the horrific memories of death and devastation witnessed when the pandemic was at its peak. The world health body has urged the people to exercise restraint and follow safety protocols like wearing masks and maintaining social distance, etc. It is important to keep in mind that the disease may bounce back at any time with more severity. Along with the administration, the people should always be on high alert to prevent any chance of resurgence of this contagious disease.