Plugging loopholes need of the hour
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: June 30, 2021 -

IF at all the government of Manipur is mulling to further relax the restrictions being imposed to contain the second wave of Covid-19, then it could be safely predicted that the health crisis will only worsen as is clear from the daily positivity rate remaining well above the national average.

The number of deaths and new cases of infection on Monday might have dropped from the previous day but the positivity rate for the last one week hovering in between 9 to 12 per cent underscores that the on-going containment measures should be persisted with until there are ample evidences that the situation is well under control.

District-wide variations in the number of new cases also testify that the tracing, testing and treatment protocols must be intensified for slight improvement in the virus hotspots of Imphal West and Imphal East cannot be the criteria to conclude that the contagion is nearing its end.

Moreover, the 29th meet of the Union government's Group of Ministers (GoM) on Monday cautioning that the situation is 'still not over' and advising the people to follow Covid appropriate behaviour to keep themselves safe indicate seriousness ofthe situation.

While the GoM's clarification that all anti-Covid vaccines currently available in the country are found effective against alpha, beta, gamma and delta variants of the coronavirus would give some sigh of relief to the public who have showing increasing eagerness to get vaccinated, for a state like Manipur where only 83,205 people have been fully inoculated so far, lifting of the restrictions would be suicidal.

Sadly, the GoM has contended that active cases continue to be concentrated mainly in Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Odisha, which are reporting growth rate more than the national average, but seemingly uninterested with the situation in Manipur, which has also been detecting fresh cases similar to the infection rate in these worst-affected states.

In the fatality count too, the GoM focused on 19 states which had been reporting casualty figures in single digit whereas in Manipur's context Covid deaths under 10 is still high considering the size of its population.

In case the existing curbs are eased and fresh cases increase then there is strong possibility that the casualty rate might spike for new patients overwhelming the healthcare centres would naturally add to the burden of the healthcare service providers and create unprecedented emergency situation. Moreover, partial lifting of curfew or containment measures would automatically give a false sense of security to the masses and consequently lead to undermining of the safety protocols.

Periodical reports of mass infections in certain localities and villages suggest that the public haven't been strictly adhering to the guidelines issued by the government.

Thus, with the GoM strongly reiterating the importance of Covid appropriate behaviour at a time when restrictions are being lifted across the country and advocating higher level of continued awareness building through sustained Information, Education and Communication (IEC) campaigns should be accorded top priority in the state rather than mulling over to relax the restrictions.

As the state continues to struggle against the second wave ofthe pandemic, emphasis should be on plugging the loopholes and remind the public that any laxity at this stage would bring greater miseries.