As if the year 2020 in full was designed exclusively for showering sufferings and anxieties on humanity, on the last day too, both for the country and the world there were bouts of worries. While the trend during last few weeks was quite encouraging, on Thursday, as per Union Health Ministry’s COVID bulletin, there were 21,822 fresh infections in the last 24 hours which was 6 % higher than Wednesday’s. This information is certainly not intended to mar the first day of 2021, but, was necessary to share only to make the statement louder for one more time- unless the vaccine doses are taken, the regimen followed all throughout the previous months of the very dark year must not be curtailed and the joy and excitement, this time, need to be expressed in a most restrained  manner. The administrations of Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai and in several other places in states like Punjab, Kerala, Gujarat and Odisha should be thanked for announcing night curfews in view of the rise of coronavirus cases. The Union Health Ministry too has asked all states to keep a strict vigil on New Year celebrations to make sure the gatherings don’t turn out to be potential Covid-19 super-spreader events and also to regulate crowding as a pre-emptive measure during the whole of the winter. This is a must and the state government must be ruthless if needed to make sure Arunachal Pradesh has no extra trouble ahead of the vaccine’s rollout. Most of the citizens will oblige, as has been the case so far, but, for the erring ones, there should be no mercy.
Why it’s time to be extra cautious will need no reiteration. Besides being the peak of winter, the ‘villain’ has made a reappearance in a new and deadlier form- the UK mutated strain. As per late Thursday evening news inputs, there are at least 20 such cases in the country currently and the carriers are entirely the returnees from there and while tracing of all those who came in contact with them are going on in full scale, practical difficulties in the process have increased manifold due to irresponsible attitudes of a few of them who ‘escaped’ the health radar. Deliberate mentioning of this episode again is necessary just to remind the citizens that in fighting COVID, irresponsibility and carelessness will widen the chances of danger not only for an individual, but also for all others nearby.
2021 will only be happy if it’s COVID-free. And the citizens’ can make it possible by using the shields they have been doing so far. This must have no interruption until the doses are taken.

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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