Covid-19 Cases continued the downward trend. Jammu and Kashmir saw a single-day rise of 224 new Covid infections on Sunday, which took the tally of cases to 318693. One person succumbed to the virus in the 24 hours to take the tally to 4357.
After the month of May proved deadly in terms of fatalities with 1625 Covid-19 deaths, accounting for around 40% of the total toll since the start of the pandemic in March last year, and 114359 cases were added to the overall tally, the situation has started to get better since and continues to be so as days progress. The cases as well as deaths have dwindled. The situation is relatively serene compared to last month when health structure was stretched to extreme and to the brink of breaking point. In such a situation, the easing of lockdown becomes unavoidable as the economic strain is becoming as much of a problem for people as pandemic was to their health.
Since the health institutes have resumed normal functioning including in the facilities kept exclusively for the management of the covid-19.
The government on July 11 also lifted weekend lockdown in 16 districts— Jammu, Kathua, Samba, Poonch, Raiouri, Kishtwar, Ramban, Udhampur, Anantnag, Bandipora, Baramulla, Budgam, Ganderbal, Pulwama, Kulgam and Shopian.
The decision comes even as Centre continues to caution the governments, including J&K, to be wary of crowding in markets and other places, and stressed on need to ensure the “extremely important” five-fold strategy of Covid-appropriate behaviour, test-track-treat and vaccination among others to prevent the spread of the disease.
While significant unlocking has taken place, it is hoped that the government continues to ensure upward progress in vaccination. The administration is also expected to take a review of the situation further in the next week or so to assess whether the link between infection and hospitalization has been sufficiently broken to unlock further including in Srinagar.
It is imperative to note that public health and social measures remain the key to stop virus transmission. The administration should continue to make efforts to prevent virus spread and remain cogent to the fact that the dip in cases may turn out to be just a statistical blip. Some experts have underlined that a third surge and heightened spread could happen in a few weeks ahead if Covid-appropriate behaviour was not followed. Keeping in view the imminent dangers, people must not get complacent with the drop in cases and ensure guard against the ravaging virus.
