The month of March, as it has been in the tumultuous year of 2020 is proving to be the carrier of ominous signs. Friday has seen not only a spike of cases, but also an inflated death toll. Maharashtra, once more is facing the trouble and the last resort, which is complete lockdown has been rolled out in Nagpur. Near-similar measures were also announced late in the evening and this makes it clear that in an open environment where there are no travel restrictions, any state is virtually now in the zone of high susceptibility. The Union Health Ministry must re-evaluate the currently enforced timeline of Covid vaccination and find out ways to accelerate it among the target groups under the 2^nd phase first and most importantly commence the most critical task of rolling it out among the common citizens not after July, but at an early date. Reportedly, there is no shortage of stocks of the vaccine(s) currently in the country and if that is so it will be wise to try for a restructured timeline. ‘Country first’ should be the motto and export obligations, if any, should necessarily be scrapped to ensure a continuous supply.

Why Maharashtra is again facing the Covid tempest is a matter of specialized study. But it is increasing in that state, one of the most-visited places in the country and that aggravates concerns. The mechanism that checked the travel history of people from there has seen a weakening in most states and here lies the cause of concern. Among the 23,285 new COVID-19 cases added to the national tally on Friday, 14000+ alone are from Maharashtra, prompting the administration to announce a week-long lockdown from March 15-21 in Nagpur along with advance warnings that there may be additions across more cities and towns, if necessary. NITI Aayog too has described Maharashtra as a “significant worry” for the country and has asked other states, especially those that are showing signs of resurgence not to take the virus “for granted.” Situation in Punjab is also taking a bad turn with night curfew being imposed in new districts over the past one week. The central duty at the moment for all states including Arunachal Pradesh is to strengthen all the guards and if needed the punishment norms for the violators of SOPs especially in crowded places must be reintroduced. While it’s true that laxity on the part of people is the main reason behind the rise which has also been singled out by the Central Health Ministry, just harping on it is not the solution.

 

The country’s Covid think tank must devise new strategies that would suit the evolving situation and extending the outreach of vaccination within the shortest possible time is the only alternative left.

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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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