By: Afaq Bhat
Srinagar: Surge in Covid-19 cases in Jammu and Kashmir has brought the lockdown back.
“The third wave of the pandemic is again casting its shadow on the economy. If the cases continue to rise there is every possibility of complete lockdown being imposed and if it happens we will again face loses,” said a businessman.
He said, “Last week the restrictions were imposed on a weekend for 2-days. This time around the lockdown was imposed on Friday itself. We can understand that the Omicron is spreading wildly but the experts across the globe have classified it as a mild variant of the Covid-19. They are advising precaution and are hoping that the appearance of Omicron could end the pandemic. We are hoping for Covid to end so that we don’t suffer anymore. Economy has taken a severe hit and it cannot afford more jolts.”
An observer said, “Despite the virus spreading rampantly, people are still not following the SOPs. They continue to move around without masks and violate the social distancing norms. People should realize that following the Covid Appropriate Behaviour holds the key. We have entered into a stage where herd immunity could be developed and normal life can resume.”
He said, “Despite the virus spreading at a very fast pace and infecting a lot many people, the rate of hospitalization is low. The virus is not that severe. People after getting positive are recovering fast.”
He said, “The old people and the ones with co-morbidities are facing problems. They need to take extra precautions. The ones who are healthy and have taken Covid-19 jabs are not facing many complications despite getting infected.”
The observer said that many countries have stopped counting the cases they are keeping an eye on how many people are getting hospitalized. “If the people follow SOPs in letter and spirit things can ease out. This could be the last stage of the pandemic. We should not lose patience. If the administration finds it alright to lift the lockdown it will be done. But for the time being it seems that the government is observing the situation.”
An official said, “The experts are saying that the variant is mild but the fact is that people are getting infected and are dying also. The administration doesn’t want to take any chances. During the past two days the demand for Oxygen has increased. So precautions need to be taken. Nothing is more important than human lives.”
