Mumbai Moves Towards Lock-Down, J&K Not Far

Maharashtra is fast heading towards imposition of the fresh lockdown amid rising cases of coronavirus in the state. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray categorically asked officials to prepare a plan for implementation of a lockdown which according to him should have minimum bearings on the economy on the recommendation of the state COVID-19 task force.

Of late, Jammu and Kashmir has also seen a spurt in covid-19 cases. On March 28, J&K reported 309 fresh covid-19 cases, the most in a single-day. In last 13 days alone, nearly 2300 fresh cases were added to the rising tally. Maharastra may seem far, the cases in J&K’s neighborhood including Punjab and Himachal Pradesh have also seen a worrying spurt.  In overall scenario, India saw 62,714 new coronavirus infections in a day, the highest single day rise so far this year, taking the nationwide COVID-19 tally to 1,19,71,624, while the daily deaths crossed the 300-mark for the first time in 2021, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Sunday.

There is also worry trend as far wearing of masks by the public goes. Internal surveys by health ministry showed that while 90% people were aware of the importance of masks, only 44% actually wore them. It is reflective of the laxity in adhering to strictures, such as wearing masks and avoiding crowding.

It is said that one infected person could spread COVID-19 to an average of 406 other individuals in a 30-day window without restrictions which could be reduced to just 15 by decreasing physical exposure to 50% and to a further 2.5 (average) by decreasing physical exposure to 75%.

The experts have been saying all along that the second wave was expected as the third serosurvey conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) between December 17, 2020, and January 8, 2021, showed that only 21.4 percent of adults had been exposed to the virus. According to the results of the survey, a huge chunk of the population is still vulnerable to the virus, the experts warned.

Also on worrying note, some experts also believe that new variants of the pathogen have spread in India, particularly in Maharashtra and Punjab, the two states recording some of the sharpest increase in cases over the last month.

The people should adhere to the covid-19 appropriate behavior by always use mask, maintain social distancing and avoid crowded places. Otherwise the day is not far when the government is forced to take what Maharashtra has done now.

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