Kashmir Unlocks: Complacency won’t help, precautions only way to keep COVID-19 at bay

By: Afaq Bhat

Srinagar: The unlock process has commenced in Kashmir. Markets will reopen in phased manner and public transport has been allowed to ply with half capacity, but the experts have reiterated that COVID-19 is far from over and it can resurface without any intimation.

A medico while talking to Precious Kashmir said, “The lockdown helped in reducing the number of cases as it stopped the transmission of virus. People should bear in mind that the COVID-19 is still everywhere and normalcy has not been restored yet. They cannot be complacent. Nor can they take anything for granted. As on date many hospitals are full and new cases are being reported on a daily basis.”

He said, “One can understand that the economy has taken a hit but people need to bear in mind that the situation is beyond anyone’s control as till date no cure has been developed to treat the virus.  Mortality rate is not that high but still people continue to die and are getting infected. Precaution is better than cure. People have to bear in mind that the time is not ripe to move around. They need to restrict their movement to keep themselves safe.”

A businessman said, “The government by lifting the restrictions in a phased manner has paved the way for the revival of the economy. But we need to act responsibly to prevent the situation from turning ugly again. We are caught in a difficult situation and we will have to fight it by taking precautions.”

He said that the business community has suffered immense losses during the past two years. “Many traders and businessmen have closed their shops and establishments as they couldn’t survive the onslaught of the virus. The government needs to think about us so that we are able to revive our ventures that are in doldrums,” the businessman said.

Another doctor said, “We have to observe how the virus will behave after lifting of the lockdown. If the cases increase then the restrictions will have to be re-imposed, but if the people follow the SOPs and take precautions the situation can improve and life and COVID-19 can go along.”

“There has been a decline in the number of cases but still the threat is there and these can rise if we lower the guard. We are hoping that the situation will improve as during the past one month many people have got vaccinated and masses have started realizing that virus can only be defeated by developing herd immunity. Let’s hope that normalcy returns and the pandemic ends.”

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