From more than a thousand cases for almost for a month, the daily count of covid-19 infections has started to recede in the last few days in Jammu and Kashmir. Even though the numbers are still on the higher side, the time offers both the government and people a moment to reflect on the lessons and the current situation.
The doctors are learning more about the disease every passing day and have a better sense of which treatments work including when to hospitalise patients and when to isolate them at their homes.
If experience across the globe is any indication, another wave of infections and subsequently deaths will take place if people started to think the virus has been overcome.
The ensuing season could prove difficult as Covid-19 virus is said to be a child of winter. Like all respiratory ailments, wintry climate gives it ideal conditions to thrive. It also offers the virus plenty of cover with a spike in several other diseases such as the common cold, influenza and other respiratory infections that can present identical symptoms. All in all, the next few months are crucial and it is time for both the government as well as people to keep guard the high. The people will need to display a keen sense of individual responsibility while the administration needs to act without any slackness. In fact it’s how people behave, how stringently they wear masks, how carefully they remain socially distant that may be the difference between life and death in the immediate future. Under unlock 5, the government has rightly decided to keep the schools and colleges closed till October 31 as the opening of the educational institutions with chances of observing social distancing norms in breach can prove disastrous. Many activities have been allowed as per the new guidelines and it makes sense given the fact that lockdown on account of 5 August 2019 decisions and one subsequent to contain the virus spread has crushed the economy, leaving thousands of people unemployed. It stopped the circulation of money and hit the marginalized sections of the society very hard. At the same time, the case of kids cannot be either compared to shopkeepers or businessmen given the different levels of the sense in adhering to the protocols such as hygiene and social distancing in outside home environments. The decision on keeping the schools and colleges makes a lot of sense. At the same time, public health officials need to do more to persuade many residents to adhere to guidelines on mask-wearing and social distancing.
