BHOPAL: Just before the disastrous second Coronavirus wave hit Bhopal, even those who had been adhering to Covid norms religiously ever since the breakout of Coronavirus pandemic had started saying “Enough of mask and sanitiser. Corona is gone now” and what happened a few days later is history.
We are again in a situation, where people have become oblivious to masks, social distancing and use of sanitiser as the Coronavirus cases come down drastically. And, as we get complacent towards the threat of Corona pandemic, the cases have started inching up in the state again. On Saturday, 22 new Coronavirus cases were found in the state and 17 each in the next 2 days.
“There is an oft-used English adage saying that those who don’t learn from history are condemned to repeat it. I was one of those who had started asking people in my office not to keep their face covered all the time and not use sanitiser every now & then because the cases had come down to 10-15 in the month of February and March. Corona is gone, we used to say and laugh. And, a few days later, almost the entire staff including me and my brothers were down with Coronavirus. Fortunately, we all recovered but the office remained closed for at least 15 to 20 days. That’s why now I insist whether Corona cases are less or more, everyone should wear masks and use sanitisers frequently, particularly when they visit somewhere and come back,” said Pankaj Sharma, who has his office in New Market.
Pankaj learnt from his bitter experience but there seems to be a lot of people either not affected by the second wave or have forgotten about it.
“I am a doctor. I don’t know for how many days, I have not taken my daughter to an ice cream parlour or a park because of the pandemic. But, people seem to be doing all that as if they don’t care”, said associate professor in pulmonology department at Gandhi Medical College, Dr Parag Sharma, who has treated hundreds of Coronavirus cases.
“I remember when the lockdown was eased after the second wave, people seemed to be cautious. You could see people wearing double masks, N-95 masks were back in vogue. Shops had slogans exhorting people to wear masks, observe social distancing norms and get vaccinated. And, shopkeepers and customers both appeared to be doing it themselves. Slogans are still there and circles also outside the shop for customers to wait in those circles and wait for their turn but nobody seems to be concerned any more. Particularly, youngsters are being very reckless. More often than not, you will see them without masks or masks not in the right place”, said Varinder Singh, adding that he makes sure that both his young sons don’t venture out of the house without masks.
Flouting of Covid protocol is not limited to markets alone, it’s all the more rampant at tourist/picnic spots, where a lot more people can be seen without masks or crowding a place.
