BHOPAL: Vendors selling masks by the roadside are still there though their numbers have gone down and if people continue shedding masks the way they are, there may not be any vendor selling masks in some days.
“We still keep masks but you can’t rely on their sale for earning your livelihood. There was a time — in March and April particularly — when a lot of people used to come to buy masks, but not any more. The other things we sell like belts, handkerchiefs, and goggles sell more. We are not buying any new masks, we have a lot of them in stock already,” said Kamal, a vendor on Kolar Road.
It’s not roadside vendors who are talking about drastic drop in sale of masks, but also chemists. President of Bhopal Chemist Association Lalit Jain said, “There has been a sharp decline in the sale of masks and sanitisers. After the second wave, people had become a bit cautious and concerned, but it’s back to square one. What could you do if people don’t have awareness. Only 25 to 30% of people are wearing masks now. In the old city, it’s even less.”
There are people, who believe that drop in Corona cases coupled with aggressive vaccination drive, which has seen a lot of people taking the jab, has led to indifference among people towards observance of Covid protocol — be it compulsory wearing of masks, social distancing or hand hygiene norms.
“There is a bit of contradiction in what the government, administration and doctors are saying about the efficacy of vaccines and at the same time insisting that you should continue wearing masks, maintain social distancing and keep sanitising your hands to ensure protection from Coronavirus infection. If all that has to be still done, then why vaccination,” said Santosh Rajawat, an accountant in a private firm.
However, doctors point out that there is no contradiction in saying that the vaccines are effective in preventing Coronavirus infection and yet insisting that people should continue to stick to Covid appropriate behaviour till maximum people have both the doses of vaccine and we are sure that Covid pandemic is gone for good.
To be fair to people, the current sultry weather and rain is also creating a problem in keeping the mask up all the time but can it be given up like a lot of people on the street seem to be doing. “Wearing a mask is not something which comes naturally to a human being. Therefore, he is always trying to find an excuse to get rid of it. If he wears glasses, he will tell you he has blurred vision if he continues wearing the mask for some time and he has problems driving. You are talking about sultry weather and rain and how it’s creating problems for people wearing masks. I understand all that but the Corona pandemic is far bigger a problem than these small inconveniences. Therefore, people should continue wearing a mask particularly in the wake of the possibility of a third wave,” said Rohit Saxena, who had contracted Coronavirus along with several of his colleagues during the second wave and had to be hospitalised.
Even as the masks go off the faces of people in the city, the agencies responsible for enforcing Covid protocol among people are also being indifferent towards their job as much as the people flouting the Covid norms.
The administration and the police have virtually stopped penalising people for not wearing masks or flouting any other Covid norms, leaving it upon the Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC). And, BMC is also doing it more as a ritual, putting a fine on 30 to 40 people from across the city during the day. After the lockdown was eased in June, the same BMC would penalise more than 250 to 300 people during the day for the purpose even though compliance to Covid norms particularly mandatory wearing of masks at a public place was far better then.
