BHOPAL: Compulsory masks and safe social distancing — two of the most crucial Covid precautions — are fast becoming a thing of the past in Bhopal.
A committee of experts constituted under the National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) has warned of an imminent third wave of Covid that could peak around October. Ironically, people still have qualms about sending their children to schools for studies but when it comes to moving around in the marketplace or going to a picnic spots, they can be spotted without wearing a mask or maintaining any social distance.
As vice president of MP Private Schools’ Association, Vinny Raj Modi, said, “Children of class 11 or class 12, who are only allowed to come to school only for a day in a week are freely moving around everywhere but can’t come to school! District administration is not allowing it and parents also are reluctant to send them to school despite our assurance that children will be looked after well and observance of Covid protocols would be ensured.”
Irrespective of the intentions of the authorities to justify the contention that classes in schools should take place regularly, there is no denial of the fact that youngsters are the most reckless lot as far as observance of Covid protocol is concerned. Masks, which had slipped to their chins in the course of time following the second Covid wave, have started disappearing altogether. All of them may not necessarily be school students but at least young boys seen in markets or other public places are rarely seen wearing masks.
Cinema halls and multiplexes, which had opened after more than a year in the city, have not been able to attract crowd also because of Covid scare despite assurances by the cinema hall and multiplex managements that it would be completely safe for people to watch films on silver screen but when it comes to moving around Kerwa dam or Lake View Road, there appears to be no concern for observing Covid norms. “Bigger hotels and restaurants have been doing it ever since the outbreak of pandemic- thermal screening, not allowing guests inside without masks or offering them sanitiser at the entrance. Until recently, they were operating at half the strength. Cinema halls are also doing it, they are maintaining gap of a seat between two spectators, the cleanliness in cinema halls as you can see now was never there but people avoid going there but when it comes to going to markets or other places, where nobody cares but yourself whether you are wearing a mask or maintaining social distance, people can be seen in hordes. Let the festival season pass, you will again see the Covid cases spiralling but no one seems to be bothered now. Not even the enforcement agencies like the police or the BMC,” said Pankaj Sharma, a businessman.
What Pankaj said is true. Police have virtually stopped checking people for masks and BMC staff is doing it more as a ritual rather than showing any riguor to enforce the Covid-protocol. The same BMC, which would fine 200 or more people a day for not wearing masks in June after the lockdown was eased and people had not yet come out of the shock of the second wave and were usually wearing masks does not exceed penalising 40 people across the city for not wearing masks now-a-days. Police were also vigilant then, stopping commuters without masks on pickets where police parties used to be placed.
Spokesperson for the district administration, Arun Rathore, when asked why police, administration and BMC are being slack in enforcing the Covid protocol, particularly after the Covid cases have dropped despite the lurking fear of a third wave, said, “No, district collector has asked to intensify the drive for enforcing compulsory mask or social distancing norms. We are also trying to vaccinate as many people as possible but observing Covid protocol would still be necessary and people must understand this.”
