Staying safe
There seems to be a misconception that after the second dose of the vaccine for COVID-19, the person concerned can neglect all precautions and protocols in public spaces such as wearing a mask and the washing of hands. This is significant because some people have propagated the message that even one dose of the vaccine is enough for necessary immunity against the virus. This is absolutely false. There must be proper awareness among the public about vaccine efficacy and administration. Also, health-care workers and people above 60 years who have received the first dose must be intimated about the second dose at least two days before the jab. The election process in certain States and a Union Territory must not be used as an excuse for any sort of laxity in health care.
Dr. Jayasekharan V.P.,
Payyanur, Kannur, Kerala
Amidst concerns of a second wave of COVID-19 infections, it is surprising to see most people including politicians without a mask. It is time that people out in public spaces without a mask are penalised. Maybe this will result in better compliance.
R.G.C. Sekhar,
Secunderabad
The Congress’s G 23
The report, “G 23 cannot exist in any other party, says Rahul” (Inside pages, March 17), is perhaps the first admission by a member of the Gandhi family that the frontliners are in fact a group of dissenters. All that they have been laying emphasis on is the need for introspection as far as party affairs are concerned and an election for the post of party president. On both counts, their activities can hardly be classified as anti-party activity. The Congress is perhaps the only party that refuses to look within even as the edifice keeps crumbling after every election. The Congress has a hoary history and has always been able to claw its way back to power even after decisive defeats, but this time around, it is clearly sinking.
C.V. Aravind,
Bengaluru
Bank privatisation
The Finance Minister’s statement that the Government is privatising only two public sector banks (PSB) is amusing. It is akin to saying, “I am removing only two bricks from the foundation of the pillar called PSB.” The Government chose amalgamation as a remedy and brought down the number of public sector banks. What prevents the Government from going in for another merger involving the banks that have been left out, or with the Big Five? The Government is ill-advised in the matter of privatisation. Denationalisation of nationalised banks will prove to be as much a retrograde step as demonetisation proved disastrous in 2016.
M.R. Anand,
Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh
