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It’s been almost a month now since India crossed its Covid peak, as active cases continue to fall and recovery rate increases to 87.36%, that is, 6.38 million recoveries out of 7.31 million cases recorded so far. While that is good news, India still tops the chart in terms of daily cases globally with more than eight lakh active cases and number of deaths showing an upward trend as on October 15. On top of that, some states including Kerala, Karnataka, Meghalaya and Nagaland have reported an increase in seven-day average of new cases, though the worst seems to be over for most states. This indicates that different places or states will peak at different times as predicted by health experts. Nagaland, which has recorded 7492 Covid-19 cases with 1448 active cases so far, showed seven-day average (on October 11) of new cases increasing at the rate of 19.3%. It is obvious that the state has not reached its Covid peak and the worst could happen if citizens don’t follow simple safety guidelines set by the government.
After remaining closed for nearly seven months as a measure to contain the spread of the pandemic, various public spaces including schools, coaching institutions, cinemas, theatres, multiplexes, B2B exhibitions etc. are being allowed to reopen on October 15 and social, religious and political gatherings are permitted with certain conditions and SOPs as mentioned in the ‘Unlock 5’ guidelines issued by the ministry of Home Affairs. While this move may be necessary considering the loss incurred by the business and student communities over the past several months, the risk involved is evident. Union health minister Harsh Vardhan also warned during a video conference held a day before the Unlock 5 became effective, that the next two-and-a-half months are going to be very crucial in our fight against the pandemic because of the winter season and the festival season. He also said that it is the responsibility of every citizen not to let their guard down and follow Covid-appropriate behaviour to curb spread of the infection. People should be more responsible now as more economic activities and negligence could spark a second wave of infection, and public spaces could become breeding grounds.
States like Nagaland that have not reached its peak should be extra cautious. What is applicable to other states today may not be suitable here, as Covid cases are only beginning to increase in the state while a decline has been witnessed in other places. Steady increase in the number of new cases of late is also a matter of worry, and there are chances the tally may increase drastically if random tests are conducted in the state. This calls for the need to follow all preventive measures. However, unlike the initial days when the lockdown was partially relaxed, people are now seen walking around public spaces without wearing face masks. It’s an irony that even sales-personnel in shops with “No Mask, No Entry” notice are seen without face masks. This is the extent of negligence that we see in our society today. To win the fight against this pandemic, we should not give room for complacency.